


Forest Guardian

by HarleysAStarBoi



Category: Spider-Man (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fantasy, Gay Harry Osborn, M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has the Venom Symbiote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26486785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarleysAStarBoi/pseuds/HarleysAStarBoi
Summary: Harry gets sent to stay in a cabin in the woods for the summer by his father and is less than pleased. He quickly comes to learn that he is not as alone in the forest as he thought he was.
Relationships: Anya Sofia Corazon/Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn/Peter Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40
Collections: The Parksbang





	Forest Guardian

Harry stared at the water moving across the surface of the lake. He watched quietly as a stork leaned down, it's beak breaching the still, mirror-like surface, and resurfaced with a small fish. His father had brought him here for a retreat, a break from the chaotic world of New York City. _"It's a safe, quiet place. You'll be staying there for the summer."_ He had said. _"I did the same thing when I was your age, as well as my father before me, and his father before him."_

A part of Harry felt like his father had made the whole thing up to get him out of the house. It was just him and an elderly woman in another house about a 20-minute walk away. It took about an hour to get to the nearest bus stop, to get to a nearby town where he could buy food, then a bus, and a subway to return to the city. But he knew if he tried to return, his father would be furious. He sighed and stared at the lake. 

The golden rays of light from the sunrise reflected off the surface, as the crickets began to quiet and birds began chirping loudly. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, he was angry that his father had just up and left him here. _How could he? How could he just take me, his son, his own flesh and blood, and just leave me here?! Was it something I did?_ He closed his eyes and shook off the thought. Sitting there wouldn't help anyone. He turned back inside the house and began exploring quietly. 

The cabin was small and wooden. A small cobblestone fireplace sat comfortably in the living room. There was an intricate rug in front of the comfortable, dark brown couch. He trailed his hand over the fabric as he made his way to the kitchen, his shoes echoing against the auburn floor. 

The kitchen was simple, a fridge, a stove, and sink. There was no dishwasher, he had to wash his dishes by hand, which was easy enough. There was a small table and four chairs just off of the kitchen that made up the dining room. A lackluster chandelier hung above the table and there was a sliding glass door that led to a back porch that looked more than a bit unsettling at night. He always felt like someone was watching him through the doors as he moved through his kitchen. 

He shook his mind clear of the thought, not wanting to remember the unease he had the night prior. He began making his way back to the living room, which had a hallway leading to three rooms. Two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom was fairly comfortable, a granite bath large enough to submerge yourself underwater. However, much to his displeasure, there was no shower. There was a washer and dryer in the corner. 

The bedrooms were similar, almost the same. The beds were comfortable, twin-sized, with black sheets and light grey duvets with soft plaid blankets folded neatly at the end of the bed. There were chests at the end of the bed with extra blankets and pillows stuffed in. There was a nightstand with a lamp, tissues, and an old fashioned alarm clock. 

There wasn't much else to the cabin, no TV, no phone service, no computer, nothing. There was barely any electricity, aside from some plugs that were installed recently that gave Harry a bit of anxiety. The cords were exposed around them and they barely looked like they were stable. 

He let out a frustrated sigh as he grabbed a bottle of water. Two months of solitude in the forest with no connection to anyone, just what every child needs. He looked at the countertops before sighing and walking back out onto the porch. _At least there’s a nice view…_

He sat there for a long time, he wasn't sure how long, maybe an hour. He just sat there and watched the animals move around the lake. Finally, his anger became too much and he stood up. He leaped over the railing on the porch and began walking his way up the trail. Sitting and letting his anger fester wouldn't do him any good, and the solitude wouldn't help either. He began walking down one of the paths towards the older woman's house. Norman had introduced them, but he hadn't quite remembered her name. He was too busy being angry to process what they had been saying.

The path was long and winding, leading up a steep cliff face. He remembered his fathers' words. "Just stay on the path and you'll be fine. Don't stray or you'll get lost. I don't need to be sending out a search party for you." He had sounded cold, uncaring when he spoke. _He wanted to get rid of me as fast as he could,_ He thought angrily. He continued up the path, trying to stay pressed against the wall. The fall wasn't far enough to kill him, at least he didn't think so. That didn't mean he was willing to risk it though. 

He absentmindedly kicked rocks ahead of him. Most just fell off the side, but one stayed on the path. He kicked it hard and froze up when he heard a small yelp of pain. He looked ahead, expecting to see an animal or maybe even another person, but nobody was there. He stopped and looked behind him, once again to be met with nobody. "Hello?" He called anxiously. He was met with silence. 

His gaze traveled across the thick vegetation of trees and the clear sky above them. He swallowed thickly and continued on the path, his pace quickening. As he nearly reached the peak, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He let out a cry of alarm and turned around to see a small pebble hit the ground. He leaned down and picked up the rock, before touching the back of his head. There was no blood, a good sign. "Okay, who's there?!" He shouted, his anxiety growing. 

When he once again received no reply, he turned and began making his way to the peak once again. He was almost running as he attempted to get there. _I'm being stupid- there's nobody here! I would've seen them. There's only one path, they'd have to be directly behind me to hit me with a rock, it just fell from above me, it just fell from above me, it just-_ He turned the corner to the peak and immediately ran into a boy, letting out a startled cry. 

He took gasping breaths for air as the boy raised an eyebrow. He was shorter than him by a few inches, dark-skinned, and had reddish-brown eyes. "Watch your step," He warned, stepping past him.

Harry stared after him as he went around the corner. "Wait, wait who are you-" He shouted, running around the corner to see him. The pathway was empty, making him freeze up in confusion. "Wh..."

He swallowed thickly and ran his fingers through his hair. _Am I losing my mind?_ He turned hesitantly around and began walking to the house just down the path. 

When he finally arrived at the familiar flower-covered cottage, he knocked on the door anxiously. After a moment, the door opened, revealing the elderly woman. "Oh, hello, Harry." She greeted, seeming surprised. She opened the door wider. "Come in, come in, you're pale."

Harry nodded and stepped in, trying to quell his shaking. The woman sat him down on the couch and went to her kitchen. "Are you alright?"

"I just... I thought I saw a boy on the way here and... I guess I didn't..." 

The woman stared at him for a moment. "Well, the trees can play tricks on your eyes," 

Harry swallowed thickly and nodded slowly. "Yeah, the... trees."

The woman offered him a smile. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please," He sighed, feeling exhausted. 

He sat quietly as she made the tea. He swallowed thickly. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot your name." He finally spoke.

The woman looked up and smiled kindly. "My name is May."

Harry nodded. "It's nice to meet you, May. Well, meet you again. I'm sorry if I was rude the other day when we first met." 

"Oh no, it's alright. Not to offend you or anything, but I've never been fond of Norman. Always so crude, never able to give something other than science a chance." She chuckled.

Harry stopped for a moment, before smiling. "Yeah, that's about right."

May smiled back. "What kind would you like?"

"Hm?" 

"Tea, I have several flavors. What kind would you like?"

"Do you have black tea?"

"Yes," She hummed, pouring two cups as the kettle began to whistle.

Harry smiled as she handed him the mug. "Give it a minute for the tea to finish steeping," She hummed.

Harry nodded and used the spoon to stir it slowly. "Do you want any milk, sugar, or honey?" May offered.

"No thank you," He replied kindly.

May nodded and seated herself beside Harry. "So, why are you up here? Do you just want some company?" 

Harry hesitated, before nodding. "Yeah, I didn't want to be alone." 

May smiled and chuckled. "I understand, the forest can get lonely."

Harry nodded quietly and sipped the tea. It was bitter, but he could manage. May offered him a reassuring smile. "You can stay as long as you need,"

Harry smiled quietly. "Thank you..."

He stayed there for the majority of the day, helping May tend to her garden and perform daily chores. It was comforting to not be alone. As dawn began to break, Harry had to return to his cabin. He bid her goodnight, promising to visit the next day as he made his way down the cliff face. 

With each step, he didn't feel the same unease he had earlier that day. 

As he walked, he felt at ease, before feeling something flick the back of his head. He quickly turned around. "Huh?" 

There was nobody behind him.

Any ease and comfort he had immediately drained out of him as he looked around. "Hello?"

"Hi," He heard a voice. 

He looked up and saw the dark-skinned boy from earlier staring down on him with a smile. Harry stared slack-jawed. "Y-you're-you're standing- you're sitting on-"

The boy stood up, standing horizontally on the rough rock. "Surprised? Sorry, I should've introduced myself earlier. I'm-" 

Harry gasped and took a step back. "How- how are- am I-"

The boy's eyes widened. "Hey- hey look out-!" 

The ground disappeared beneath him and he began tumbling downhill, letting out a panicked cry. Before he could call for help, his head smashed against a rock and his vision faded to black.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"PETER! PETER- I MESSED UP!" 

Peter looked up from the small spider in his hands. He set his hand down on the side of the tree and the spider crawled off, almost invisible thanks to it's camouflaged exoskeleton. Peter turned to the familiar voice as he leaped off the tree. "What'd you do this time, Miles?"

"There- there was a kid. I think I killed him." The red-eyed boy wailed as he skidded to a halt in front of him. 

Peter stopped. "What?"

"I- he was on the cliff-face- I was- I was up there and- he was- he kicked a rock and it hit me- and I was being petty so I threw it back at him and he got all scared and I thought it was funny and-"

"Miles slow down I can't understand you," Peter said, putting his hands up.

Miles took a deep breath, a pair of sharp fangs visible in his mouth. "There was a guy on the cliff-face and he accidentally kicked a rock at me, I think it was on accident at least, he couldn't see me, I was camouflaged, but he kicked a rock at me and I was being petty and I threw it back at him and he got scared so I thought it would be funny if I scared him again so I got in front of him and scared him earlier and then I tried to scare him again when he was going down the cliff path and he tripped and fell off, he isn't moving but he's alive but I think he's dying," Miles wailed breathlessly.

Peter stared at him for a moment. "Oh for the love of-" He took a sharp breath. "Where is he now?"

"Oh, the edge of the forest by the cliff face- where the lamb's ear grows," 

Peter nodded. "Go get the Dryads, I'll go check on him." He ordered as he quickly ran to where the boy had fallen. 

Miles nodded. "O-Okay!" 

Peter turned and made his way through the forest, finding the boy with ease. He narrowed his eyes at his injured figure. He was laying on his back, dark red blood staining his shirt on the side and arms, as he laid motionless. Peter leaned down and touched his neck, wondering silently if he was already too late. His questions were answered when the boy let out a pain-filled moan. He jerked his hand away, before moving to his side. "Okay, this is gonna hurt a lot... I'm sorry." 

He carefully slid his arms under the boy and ignored the pained cries that escaped his lips. He picked him up, careful to not let his head sag, and began carrying him back into the forest. The boys' sobs and pained cries filled the air as he began carrying him to the forest. He made it to a small hollow that opened up into a cave that Peter called home. He carefully let the boy down, attempting to ignore the boys' screams. Peter rested his hand over his eyes when he tried to look at him. "Keep your eyes closed and go to sleep. I won't let you die."

The boys' tears made Peter's bloodied hands slick as he used his powers to put the boy to sleep. He moved his hand away and looked at his wounds. His legs were injured, one was fractured and the other was cut up, and his arms had several nasty cuts. Though his back was thankfully intact besides cuts and bruises and his ribs were safe. Peter took a deep breath and looked up as one of the Dryads entered the room. She had mid-length, curly brown hair and vibrant green eyes. "What happened?" She asked, quickly moving his side. 

"He fell down the cliff face to May's house. He's cut up pretty bad. Do you think you can help?" He questioned, not turning his gaze away from the injured boy's face.

The Dryad, named Ygeía, nodded. "Yeah, I can see what I can do. Leave me alone with him."

Peter turned away. "Make it as painless as possible if you could."

She smiled and nodded. "I will. Now go, you're only gonna be a worrywart. Go." She chided, pointing to the door. 

Peter made a face. "Fine, fine. I'll go." 

He left the cave, leaving Ygeía to work her magic. Not in a metaphorical sense, he was leaving her to perform magic. He looked up when he felt Miles' presence. "Is... is he okay?" 

"Miles, he's mortal. You need to remember that they're fragile." Peter reminded softly. 

Miles nodded. "I know I know. I didn't think that he'd walk off the side." He defended, looking embarrassed. 

"It's okay. He's in good hands now, I know it wasn't on purpose. You aren't a malicious spirit, Miles. You just gotta be more careful next time." He reminded.

Miles nodded. "God I really messed up, didn't I?" He asked, looking guilty. 

Peter touched his shoulder. "Miles, it's okay. You gotta forgive yourself, he's fine, he's gonna be fine, it'll all be _fine_. "

Miles searched his gaze questioningly, before nodding when he saw no hesitation in his eyes. "Alright. Thank you, Peter." 

He smiled. "You're welcome, Miles. Now go on, everything will be fine here. " 

Miles forced a grin before he nodded and turned away. "Thank you, Peter!" He called, before disappearing behind the trees.

Peter chuckled and turned back to the cave, waiting for Ygeía to exit.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Pain exploded through his body as he was brought back to consciousness. He let out a pained cry as he tried to adjust. "Ah, someone, help I'm- I can't- someone PLEASE-" 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a shushing noise. "It's okay, I'm here, just relax, everything's alright."

He hesitated, before opening his eyes. A young boy around his age was sitting above him. He had large bright green eyes, brown hair, a green patchwork shirt that was torn at the edges, a black vest-like overcoat, and soft, dark tan, stained, loose leather pants. The attractive boy moved the hair out of his face. "You're gonna be fine." He promised.

Harry felt his breath leave his body as he stared at the boy. "God?"

The boy jerked back. "What? No. No, don't do that. That's like calling me your dad, which I'm not." He replied flatly.

Harry groaned as the boy pulled away. "Where... where am I? Am I dead?"

"No, you're not dead. And you're not going to die. But you'll open your wounds if you keep moving, so stop that." The boy hissed when he saw him attempting to sit up.

Harry didn't let that stop him and finished sitting up as he hissed in pain. "Shit shit shit that hurts shit." He cursed.

The boy scowled. "Well, no shit sherlock- stop moving for the gods' sake!" He snapped loudly, as Harry leaned against the cold stone wall. 

"Where am I?" Harry questioned again.

"You're in my forest." The boy replied calmly as he searched through small shelf-like indents in the walls. "Here." He pulled out an apple and handed it to Harry.

Harry looked surprised for a moment before hesitantly taking a bite into it. It was sweet and juicy. He felt a smile cross his face and he looked up. "Thank you, it's really good." 

The boy nodded. "Of course it is. What's your name?" 

Harry smiled. "Harry Osborn. What's your name?" He asked through a mouthful of apple.

The boy shifted. "You can call me Peter."

Harry smiled. "Nice to meet you, Peter." 

Now that he could see the boy clearly, he could see that the overcoat he was wearing was embroidered with small clear gemstones that reflected off the fabric. His green outfit had darker green details decorating it as well as thin gold-woven trims around the droplet-shaped details. His dark tan pants had small details woven into them but otherwise remained plain. The boy had pointed ears, like elf ears, and four small piercings. The largest was a green stud, which was followed by a red, blue, then yellow studs in that order, the yellow stud being the smallest. He watched as Harry finished the apple. "Are you able to walk?" He asked, seeing him beginning to test his limits.

Harry looked up hesitantly. "Uh, yeah, I think so." He mused as he began pushing himself up carefully.

Surprisingly enough, the pain was much milder than he expected. He looked at his injured legs and walked in a tight circle. "How the hell..." He whispered.

"What's that?" Peter asked from the exit of the cave.

"My- my legs, when I woke up, they were practically killing me but now, they're fine. Well, they're sore, but they don't hurt nearly as much."

Peter nodded. "Well yeah, Ygeía, one of our Dryads, healed you."

"What?" Harry faltered.

Peter stared at him. "You... you really don't know where you are, do you?"

Harry gazed back. "No? Should I?" He stammered out.

Peter sighed loudly. "We really have faded... haven't we?" He murmured aloud.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just- just come on."

Harry watched his saddened expression, before nodding. "Okay, I'm coming."

He followed Peter out of the cave into the light. It was about noon as Peter led him expertly through the trees, the sunrays dappling the ground as Peter hummed an unfamiliar tune. Harry followed him slowly, looking around. Fruit-covered bushes dotted the thick overgrowth of plants. Mossy trees growing over rocks and into other trees formed a beautiful archway that Peter was leading him out of. "Peter, this place is beautiful." He managed out. 

Peter laughed. "You should see it in the winter. Everything freezes over, that's when it really gets beautiful." 

Harry smiled. "Well, I'll have to visit then." 

Immediately at that, Peter's body went rigid. "Oh no, don't bother. I don't want guests." 

Harry glanced up. "Huh? Why not?"

"Look. Finding you was a fluke. You were hurt and I wasn't just gonna leave you there dying. That doesn't give you an all-exclusive pass here. Once you're out, stay out." He ordered. 

Harry felt a rush of irritation at his hostility. "Well hey, if you're gonna kick me out at least tell me about what you were talking about earlier. Ygeía? Healing me? What are you guys magic or something?" He demanded.

Peter scoffed. "Okay, if I answer your questions will you leave?" 

Harry thought for a moment. "I can't if I wanted to, but I won't go looking for you if that's what you want."

Peter tilted his head lightly before sighing. "Good enough for me. Yes, we're magic. Miles, my friend who accidentally scared you off the side of the cliff, is also magic. So is just about everyone in this forest, there's a lot of spirits, nymphs, dryads, and demons here. You name it, we've probably got one."

"Unicorn?"

"Not that fantastical, those are in Europe."

"They're real?!"

"Yes, now go."

Harry stood his ground. "Wait, wait I have more questions!"

Peter huffed. "I agreed to answer one question, now _go._ "

His final statement was much more aggressive and firm than before. Harry took that as a sign that his patience was running thin. He still didn't budge. "Come on, one more question."

"Then it'll turn into two, then five, then fifty."

Harry opened his mouth to argue before realizing he was probably right. "Two more questions then I'll go, pinky promise."

Peter faltered for a moment before sighing. "Fine, but I mean it. If you don't go after these last two questions, I'm kicking you out, through force if I have to."

Harry felt a rush of satisfying victory. "Alright! Lemme think I gotta make these questions good."

Peter nodded. "Let's keep walking while you think."

Harry's mind raced through questions as he tried to pick out the biggest ones. "What's going on with this forest? I mean, why are there so many spirits and stuff here?"

Peter made a small noise. "It's safe,"

Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want that to be your second question?"

Harry hesitated, stopping in his tracks. "Come on, that isn't cool." He complained. 

"Do you want that to be your second question or not?" Peter questioned, not bothering to stop. 

Harry huffed and jogged to keep up. "Fine, sure."

"There aren't a lot of places where mythical creatures are safe anymore. But this place is. That elderly woman you were with, May, she owns this forest and helps keep us alive. She's one of the good humans."

"One of the good humans?"

"You people are destroying this earth." Peter scowled, seeming annoyed. "You may not realize it, but you're killing _us._ One day, your greed will extend to this forest, and that day is coming. May has no next of kin, once she passes, it's all over for us. This forest will be ripped to shreds and you'll market it off for profit, and we'll all die. But you won't care, you won't even know what you did, all you'll know is that you have more money in your pocket." 

Harry stared after him. "Not every human is like that,"

"No, not all of you are, but the vast majority are. You say you're on our side, you hold protests to help us, but then you turn around and do the exact same things that kill us. You're hypocritical, there are very few of you that make an effort and sacrifice your lavish lifestyle to try and help us, and since there are so few, your contribution barely makes a difference."

Harry wasn't sure what to say as he followed Peter to the clearing of where the cabin he was staying in was. Peter turned back to the forest. "Now go. And if you come back, I won't be as nice while leading you out."

Harry was silent as he walked towards the cabin, processing what he had learned. He stepped up the porch and turned to where Peter was. He was gone. He felt the chill of night run up his spine and quickly turned into the cabin. It was warm, as usual. He closed and locked the door behind him and walked into the kitchen to make a meal, which turned out to be a ham and cheese sandwich. He sat on the couch, feeling tired. 

As he had the night before, he couldn’t shake off the notion that he was being watched. He glanced out the windows, half expecting to see Peter or the other boy, Miles was his name? Of course, there was nobody there. He paced quietly as he finished the last of his sandwich, before the feeling of being watched became too much. 

He moved to his bedroom and grabbed some of his pajamas from his still unpacked suitcase. He brought them to the bathroom and began to fill the tub, pulling a towel out from one of the cabinets. He set them down and waited for the tub to fill, giving the room a slight steamy haze that he enjoyed. 

The water was a bit too hot for his comfort, but he still found himself relaxing against the granite tub. He laid there for a long time, processing everything he had learned until the water began to chill around him. Once he got up, he drained the tub and dried off. He dressed in his pajamas and walked to his bedroom, closing the curtains as he got in. He closed the door to his room and slumped against the bed. He may not like the cabin and being stranded, but he couldn’t lie, the bed was comfortable. He threw the duvets over him and nestled down, the silk sheets comforting him as he quickly found himself falling asleep.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

He woke up early the next day. He glanced over at the alarm clock to find it was 7:30 am. He huffed softly and pushed himself out of bed and opened the curtains. It was bright, the sun already above the skyline. He quickly made his way out of the cabin and onto the porch, smiling at the sound of all the frogs. This was a luxury he didn't and would never get in New York City. The crisp, clean air filled his nostrils as he smiled, finding himself relaxing against the railing of the porch. He turned back inside to change and get ready for the day. 

The anger of his father leaving him there hadn't quite faded but he could at least appreciate the place for what it was. As he finished getting dressed, he made his way to the kitchen to get some food. He looked through the cupboards and found some oatmeal and a box of raisins. He grabbed two packets and a box of raisins and made himself a bowl, dumping the raisins in before microwaving it for two minutes. The ravenet made his way around the room, opening the windows slightly to get some fresh air in. He wandered over to the living room and sat on the couch until the microwave beeped. Once it did, he stood up and walked to the kitchen. He pulled the oatmeal out and poured a bit of milk in and stirred it as he walked back out front to eat. 

There were a few times where he'd be bothered by bugs, but other than that nothing of note happened. It was uncomfortably quiet. He didn't like how alone he felt, nobody was around, the nearest town was miles away, and the nearest house was a 40-minute walk. Despite the serenity of the area, he couldn't help but wonder what if someone tried to attack him? Where would he go? Would anyone help him? Again, he tried to shake away the thought, feeling a general sense of unease growing in his stomach. 

A bug flew closer to his bowl and Harry was quick to swat it away and scarf down what was left of the oatmeal before turning inside and closing the door. He walked to the kitchen and got hot water running before soaking the bowl and a rag, putting soap on the rag, and washing out the bowl. Once all traces of oatmeal were gone and replaced with suds, he rinsed off the bowl and dried it with a clean rag. Once it was dry, he set it back in the cupboard and decided to go see May. 

He put on the durable shoes his father had bought him and closed the door behind him, making his way down the path. As he walked, he could hear frogs and bugs up ahead grow quiet as he passed, only to resume their noises once he was a safe enough distance. 

The walk was uneventful, as it had been the first time, and after 40 minutes he found himself in front of May's humble little cabin. He walked up and knocked politely. After a few seconds, May opened and greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Harry. Here to help with the chores again?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied happily. 

May chuckled. "You'll be having help today, come in, I'll get you a cup of tea."

Harry raised an eyebrow as she opened the door wider for him. "Help?"

He walked in and looked over to see none other than Peter sitting on the couch, sipping from a mug of his own. Peter startled at the sight of him, gasping and coughing suddenly before straightening and glaring. "What are you doing here?" He demanded angrily.

May gave him a pointed look. "Be nice, Peter."

"May-!"

"He's here to help."

Peter looked between the two before sighing. "You know what? Fine. Whatever."

May seemed confused, yet satisfied with that answer as she turned to the kitchen. Harry shifted awkwardly and looked away as she disappeared into the kitchen, biting his lip anxiously before meeting Peter's gaze. "Look, if I did something to offend you then I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. But please, at least give me a fighting chance here,"

Peter examined his expression wordlessly as if trying to find a reason not to believe him. He let out a heavy sigh. "Give me a reason to trust you and I'll consider it."

Harry smiled. "And what do I need to get you to trust me?"

Peter gave him a firm glare. "I'm not giving you tasks to do, that's not how trust works." 

Harry put his hands up. "I'm just trying, you've gotta at least give me something to start with!" 

"I don't have to give you anything!" Peter snapped, obviously irritated.

May stepped in. "Boys, please, could you get along? Just for a moment?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Peter. "I don't like him, May."

May gave him another pointed glare as Harry scoffed. "What did I do to you?"

"You nearly died in my forest."

May turned her gaze on Harry. "You what?!"

Peter continued to answer for him. "Miles scared him and he slipped off the cliffside."

With that, May set down the mug she had brought out for Harry and immediately began inspecting him for wounds and injuries. "Relax, Aunt May, Ygeía took care of any injuries he had. Anything that was doing any harm is gone now."

May glanced at him before returning her gaze to Harry. "Just to be safe,"

"It's okay, Mrs. Parker, nothing hurts," Harry reassured.

May glanced over him for a long few moments, before pulling away and nodding. "Alright, if you're sure." She said hesitantly, standing up and handing him his tea.

Harry gave her a grateful smile and took a small sip as Peter shuffled over to give Harry room to sit. Harry did so as May sat on her rocking chair and smiled. "Alright then you two, Peter, you work in the gardens with me. Harry, do you think you could rip up the walkway?"

Harry sat up, surprised. There was a lovely wooden walkway that went along the garden around the side of the house that led to both the front and back porch. "Well, I can, but can I ask why?"

May gave him a kind smile. "Some of the wood is starting to rot, I need to get it out and rebuild it with something more sturdy and then paint over it again." She explained. "I was planning on going into town today to buy some wood to replace it."

Harry thought quietly before remembering the credit card his father had left with him in case he ran out of food. He sat up slightly. "I can buy it," He offered. "Obviously, I can't bring it back on my own, but I've got more than enough money to pay for it."

May scoffed at him. "Absolutely not, young man. I've been saving up money for this anyway."

Harry shook his head. "No, ma'am, I mean it. My dad just left me here for the summer, and I'll probably be here very often. It's the least I can do for all the hospitality you've already shown me and continue to show me. Plus I wanted to go check out the town anyway,"

May was still hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. My dad's a multimillionaire, he won't notice a few hundred missing from the bank to replace the walkway." He reassured.

May watched him before smiling. "Well, if you insist, who am I to deny a gift?"

Harry smiled happily. "I'll just need a way to bring it back,"

"I was going to have a friend of mine deliver it here anyway, just put it under my name, alright?"

Harry nodded. "Alright, they'll have to call you, won't they?"

"Maybe, I doubt it. Around town, everyone knows each other, though they aren't my biggest fans. Most of the teenagers around there have created some pretty nasty rumors about me."

Harry tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Peter snorted. "They've been calling her, 'The Witch of the Woods.' Pretty stupid, isn't it?"

Harry snickered along. "God that's stupid."

May laughed softly and nodded. "It is, isn't it?"

Harry offered her a happy smile before standing up. "So you want me to rip up the walkway?"

"Yep, Peter and I will take care of the gardening. But first, finish your tea."

Harry looked to his still mostly full mug before chucking to himself. "Alright, sorry." 

May simply smiled at him as he sat back down to sip. As he brought the mug to his lips, he glanced up at Peter and startled, choking on the tea he had barely started to sip. There was some- some kind of _goo_ on his shoulder. May and Peter both gave him surprised looks as he coughed and regained himself. "Peter- there's something on your shoulder," He choked out.

Peter glanced to his shoulder, seeing the goop before chuckling. "Don't worry, it's nothing."

Harry wiped his mouth and stared at him. "It wasn't there before though!"

Peter smiled and lifted his hand. As if he was controlling it, the goo moved up his arm and wrapped around his hand before extending out and forming small, teardrop-shaped white eyes. Harry gawked for a minute as Peter smiled. "Meet Venom. He's a relatively harmless demon we found a few weeks back." 

Harry stared at it for a moment. "Its- it's just goo though,"

Peter chuckled. "That's what I thought at first, then it started moving."

Harry looked up at Peter then back to Venom. "So... it's harmless?"

"Yes, it can't do any damage without a catalyst, me in this case, but I'm much stronger than it and it can't overpower me if it tried. Plus, it's a sweetheart, I don't think it'd try to overpower me either way."

Harry stared at the goop consideringly. "So it can't do anything without overtaking you, and you're too strong for it to do that?"

"Exactly. Despite what you may think, I'm not weak."

Harry swallowed. "I-I never said you were!" He quickly replied, trying not to offend Peter any more than he already had.

"I can tell you're thinking it."

"I-"

"I'll meet you outside, Aunt May. Thank you for the tea." He interrupted, setting his empty mug down and turning to the door.

Despite what Peter had said, when Venom turned to look at him as he shut the door, Harry couldn't help but feel a cold chill run up his spine.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"So are you and Peter related?"

May looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Peter calls you Aunt May, is he your nephew?"

May chuckled. "No, no no, he isn't. He's been here far longer than I have. He just calls me that."

Harry tilted his head. "How long has he been here?" 

May thought for a while. "I don't know, he's never told me."

"Have you asked?"

"I guess I just assumed he's been here as long as this forest has."

"Has he ever left?"

"Oh heavens no. If he ever left, it'd kill him."

Harry stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he can't go. His life is connected to the forest. If he leaves, he dies. If the forest dies, so does he."

Harry thought about that. "That's gotta be horrible, no wonder he doesn't like anyone outside of the forest. I couldn't stay in one place for so long."

May nodded and smiled. "You did say you're gonna be here all summer, correct?"

"Yeah, until school. Why?"

"While you're down in the town, buy some chocolate."

Harry chuckled and smiled. "What? Why?"

"Peter loves chocolate. Bringing him some is the best way to get him to ease up to you."

A smile crossed Harry's face and he nodded. "Alright then, any specific type of chocolate he likes?"

"Avoid almonds, try to get some with toffee in it. Stick with milk chocolate,"

Harry nodded determinedly. "Alright, I can do that!"

May chuckled as Harry chugged the rest of his tea, set the mug down, and stood up. "I'll start ripping up the wood, got a place you want me to put it?"

"In the garage, I have a wheelbarrow, some gloves, and a hammer. You can use those to get the wood up and out. Once you've got it, take it around the back and follow the path downhill. I have a burn pile down there."

Harry nodded. "Alright, thank you!"

May waved him off as he stood up and left the cabin to the detached garage. It was a small, dark green and grey, one-car garage. The door was open as he walked in, stepping around May's truck. He found the wheelbarrow easily and searched for a minute to find the hammer and gloves. He pulled the thick gloves on and grabbed the hammer and pulled the wheelbarrow out and maneuvered around the truck. He made his way to the garden and found Peter on his hands and knees pulling out weeds. He offered him a smile, which received nothing more than a grunt of acknowledgment. 

He tried to not let it get to him as he pulled the gloves on and began working with the wooden walkway. He first pulled out the nails on the plank before dumping it into the wheelbarrow. It was tedious work as Harry worked his way down the long path. Many of the planks were splintering and he had to take a minute to pick up small pieces that had been dropped. 

When May joined them she was carrying a watering can. She smiled and greeted them happily and watered the shrubs and flowers. 

As noon steadily approached, it got hotter and hotter, and Harry was beginning to feel like he was cooking in the heat. He pulled out the last plank and smiled victoriously. "Done, May!" He called gleefully.

May looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Harry! Could you get the beams that were under them out?" 

Harry looked down at the wooden beams the nails were connected to. He nodded, replying, "Yeah, I can do that. Should I just take them to the burn pile too or do you want to keep them?"

"Burn them, they're rotting too."

Harry nodded and looked at them, humming softly. They were heavier than Harry could carry, so he'd have to bring them on the wheelbarrow, but they were also attached to the porch that wrapped around the front of the house and to the back. "How should I get them out?" He questioned.

May looked up and examined the nearest one to her for a moment. "I have a hand saw in the garage. That should work,"

Harry nodded and turned. "Alright, I'll go grab it!"

May nodded and resumed weeding and watering the plants with Peter. Harry returned to the garage and found the saw hanging on a few nails on the side of the wall. He grabbed it carefully and pulled it off the wall, bringing it to the walkway. It took a few minutes, but he managed to saw the wood off of the others and pull them out. They were long, heavy pieces, and he had to separate them. The walkway was about 15 feet long and he sawed each plank into three 5-foot sections. He set them on top of the wheelbarrow and began wheeling them to where May had said the burn pile was. 

He had dropped them a few times on the way, but he managed to get them there with little issue. He dumped the wood onto the pile and began making his way back up the hill. As he got back, he was surprised to see May was alone. He walked over, feeling slightly upset. "Where'd Peter go?"

May looked up. "He's got responsibilities to take care of,"

Harry frowned. "Responsibilities? He's just a forest spirit, what kind of responsibilities could he possibly have?"

May hummed. "I don't know too much about how it works in there, but there are four main spirits that sort of run the forest. Peter is one of those four. They each have sections that they are in charge of, but they all take care of the forest together. For each section they're in charge of, they settle disputes, take care of the plant life, and generally take care of those who inhabit that section of the forest."

Harry hummed curiously. "That's cool, I wonder what it's like."

May chuckled. "Maybe you can pry more information out of him."

Harry chuckled along and sat back. "Should I head to town now or wait a bit?"

May stopped and thought for a long moment. "If you do, I'd like to go with you. Just for safety."

"Alright, should I be worried about getting kidnapped?" Harry joked.

"No, most of the people in town are kind enough. It's just a precaution."

Harry nodded again. "Okay, that's cool. So I'll get my stuff and you can get your wood."

May chuckled and nodded in agreement. "That would be the plan,"

"What wood are you getting?"

May hummed thoughtfully. "Ceder would be good, we can get your things first. The wood will be heavy and we'll have to load it into the truck."

Harry nodded. "I can do that, I'm still paying for it though."

May rolled her eyes. "Alright alright, let's go buy Peter chocolate." She stood up and wiped her hands off on her jeans as she made her way to the car.

Harry laughed and followed her. "How should I find him when I get back?"

"Just start wandering around the forest. You'll run into someone eventually,"

"Peter doesn't exactly like me," Harry frowned, "last time I was in there he told me not to come back."

"Don't worry, he won't do anything. He might get upset, but the chocolate is a good middle man. It'll at least get you two to talk." She reassured.

Harry hesitated before nodding. "Alright, you sure he won't hurt me?"

"So long as you don't do anything to hurt the forest, he won't do anything." 

Harry hummed and stood still for a long moment. "Okay, alright."

May gave him a kind smile as she opened the door to the truck and got in. Harry entered through the passenger seat and buckled up as May turned the key. The engine revved and May began driving. 

The drive to town was a long one, almost an hour. They went to the wood store first, buying the lumber that was needed and loading it into the truck. Once that was taken care of, they went to the store and May stayed in the car as Harry shopped. 

The store was small as Harry began to look around. Sure, it was small, but it had all the necessities. He bought a half-gallon of milk, lunchmeat, more oatmeal, bread, cereal, bottled water, graham crackers, marshmallows, and several different types of chocolate. He bought it all and returned to May's truck where she sat in wait for him. He slid in with a few bags. "Back,"

May greeted him and began to drive off. The drive back was relatively quiet and uneventful. 

They stopped about halfway back at a large, white, and blue house. The walls were stained with dirt and algae and there was a wood log fence going around the house. May pulled in and parked. Harry looked around curiously. "Where are we?"

"This is the guy who sells the wood, he's got good quality and it's cheap. This place is closer than any hardware store,"

Harry nodded. "Alright,"

May unbuckled and got out of the truck. "I'll get the wood, we have to pay in cash and I can't imagine you have the cash on hand. You can just pay me back later if you really want to pay for it."

Harry nodded hesitantly. "Alright, I'll make sure you get paid before I leave." He promised

May chuckled. "You don't have to!" She called before going to the door. 

Harry watched uninterestedly as May knocked. After a few moments, an older man opened the door. He greeted her politely and they chatted for a long while before the man led May on. After about 5 minutes, the man came out on a riding lawn mower with a barrow attached. It was full of the wood May had bought. Harry unbuckled and hopped out of the truck. "Do you need any help loading that up?" He called.

The man on the mower stopped and smiled. "Sure do!"

Harry smiled as the man parked the mower. He began lifting some of the wood out and Harry started by grabbing some of the smaller planks. He helped tie them down as May followed over with an amused smile. They managed to load the wood up fairly quickly. Harry finished loading it up as May pulled the man aside to pay. 

May wished him farewell as they double-checked it was tied down tight, before they got back into the truck, buckled up, and drove off. Harry hummed. "He seemed nice,"

"He's one of the few people in this town who doesn't think I'm a witch."

Harry chuckled. "Well, at least some people aren't jerks." 

May chuckled in agreement. "Alright, let's get home then. Ready to talk to Peter?"

Harry paused for a long moment. "I don't know, he really didn't want me to come back,"

May snorted softly. "Well, chocolate will solve that problem."

"You sure?"

"Positive, just trust me."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry stepped into the forest, his heart thudding in his ears as he searched for Peter. He knew May had said that Peter wouldn't hurt him, but his words were sticking.

_"Now go. And if you come back, I won't be as nice while leading you out."_

It made him feel anxious. He knew Peter didn't like him and here he was, strolling in like he owned the place. He began walking, trying to figure out where to go. There was no clear cut path, just forest ground. Real forests weren't like anything in the movies or books, the ground was littered with rocks and twigs, the forest was alive with sounds. Frogs from the creeks and ponds, birds in their nests above, vultures cawing nearby, just sound everywhere. The trees weren't as tall as Harry expected either, very few of them seemed to be able to hold his weight if he had to climb them.

He wandered for what felt like hours, his footsteps noisy beneath him as he walked, before hearing a voice. "What are you doing out here?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin before turning around to come face-to-face with a blond-haired girl. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she had bright blue eyes and pointed ears, much like Peter's. The sequence in her's was blue, yellow, green, red. She wore a long, ombre, light blue, asymmetrical hem dress. The bottom was a lighter color than the top and there were no shoulders to her dress, though there were sleeves that went just past her elbows before turning to lace. Along the top of the corset and above the shoulders, she had gold embroidery vines that got thinner the further down they went before disappearing just above the waistline. She had a dark magenta hooded cape around her shoulders that ended just above her tailbone.

Harry stumbled over his words for a moment before managing to get out, "I'm looking for Peter."

She stared at him for a long moment before smiling and nodding. "Come on, I'll lead you to him."

Harry swallowed before nodding. "Okay," 

The girl turned and began leading him away. Harry followed quietly for a while before looking up. "What's your name?"

The girl smiled. "I'm, Gwen. And you are?"

"Harry,"

She smiled. "Ah, the one renting out the cabin in Peter's section, right?"

"Uh, I guess?"

"How is he?"

Harry made a small noise. "Honestly? Kind of crabby."

Gwen chuckled before sighing. "He's been like that for a while..."

Harry looked up. "What do you mean?"

Gwen was quiet for a long moment before sighing. "See, it's a little complicated. There was an... event. He isn't exactly a fan favorite around here, and since then, well... He's been in a bad mood. I don't blame him, when people are cruel to you, you tend to be cruel back."

Harry stared at her quietly. What did she mean, was Peter being hurt? 

Before he could open his mouth to question her, she stopped. "Stay here, Peter will find you."

"What?"

"I'll see you later,"

"Wait, wait wait wait, what?!"

He turned to argue, but she was already walking away. "Wait- where are you going?! Are you just gonna leave me here?!"

"Yep, you'll be fine!"

He gaped as she left. Before he could think about it too much, he heard footsteps behind him and whirled around. Peter stood there, looking more than a little irritated. "What are you doing here? I told you to go."

Harry held up the bag, fighting back a rush of fear. "I just wanted to chat,"

Peter scowled at the bag. "What's in there?

Harry reached in and Peter flinched back. He began slowing his movements to prove he wasn't a danger, before pulling out some of the chocolate. "I just want to be friends,"

Peter stared at him and the chocolate for a long time before letting out an irritated huff and covering his face. "May told you, didn't she?"

"Tell me...?"

"That I'm a sucker for chocolate."

"Yeah, she did."

Peter sighed heavily and put his hand out expectantly. Harry tossed the chocolate to him and he caught it. He opened the wrapper and took a bite before walking. "Come on, you wanted to chat so badly, let's chat."

Harry smiled gleefully and began following him. It was a long walk, too long for Harry's liking, but they soon arrived at the cave where he had first woken up. Now that he was more awake than he was before, he took in the surroundings. There was a hollow that gave way to a cave near the bottom. Large tree roots created an overhang over the hollow. As Peter led him in, he saw the majority of the inside of the cave had a wall of tree roots around it making a nice looking interior as moss grew along the walls. He sat down on the stone floor and shifted for a moment as Peter sat down across from him, finishing the chocolate bar. "Was there a specific thing you wanted to talk about?" He questioned, handing him the now-empty wrapper.

Harry shoved it in the bag and handed Peter another chocolate bar, smiling at how Peter's eyes lit up as he grabbed it. "Not really, I just wanted to chat," Harry replied.

Peter hummed and took another bite. "Okay, what do you want to chat about?"

"What's it like living here?"

Peter stopped as the chocolate bar was halfway in his mouth, before pulling away and smiling softly. "It's pretty good. I've got friends and family here,"

"Family?"

Peter nodded. "See, it's a little complicated to explain. There are four guardian spirits, Me in the East, Anya in the West, Miles in the South, and Gwen in the North. The area we're in we take care of, we solve disputes and make sure things are good here." He explained.

Harry nodded curiously. "And I'm assuming the rest of them are like a family to you?"

"Yeah, they _are_ my family."

Harry smiled. "That's cool,"

Peter nodded and took another bite of his chocolate. "It is."

He opened his mouth to speak again when Venom appeared out of his shoulder with a curious look. Peter smiled and offered him a small piece of chocolate. "Want a bite? It's good,"

Harry tried to ignore the chill that ran up his spine when he saw the back and white demon. It sniffed the chocolate before opening its mouth and taking a bite and Harry tried to ignore the feeling of sickness in his stomach when he saw the rows of sharp teeth in its mouth. The demon seemed pleased as Peter offered it another piece. It ate it before recoiling back into Peter's skin. Harry swallowed as it disappeared. "So you said that Venom was a demon, aren't demons, you know... bad?"

Peter looked up and hummed. "Yes and no. They're kind of like Pitbulls for you, they have a reputation of being evil, but that's not entirely true. Sure there are some bad apples, and those ones typically are really bad, but those are the only ones ever talked about. There are good demons who are just trying to survive like the rest of us."

Harry nodded for a moment. "That's weird to think about. We aren't exactly religious in my house but... good demons?"

Peter nodded before looking down at his hands, looking anxious. "I'm not gonna lie but... a lot of spirits in this forest don't like that we allow demons here. Sure, the good demons are great allies and even better friends, but the demons that aren't good are a major threat." 

Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"You see, demons can take root in two ways. They can force themselves in, that way is impossible here, there's too many of us protecting this place and we can hold them off. The other way is that they can come in on neutral terms of agreement. Making a deal with the devil per se. If they come in on agreement, that's when they're very dangerous because they're stronger that way. They don't have to exert effort into keeping someone restrained because they can gain power under your nose. And they're extra dangerous because demons, unlike most spirits, can hide their strength."

"What do you mean?"

"Every spirit has magic. The more magic a spirit has, the more powerful they are, the stronger aura they have. Other spirits and even some animals can sense that aura and gauge how strong a spirit is based on that, but demons can contain their aura, which means we can't figure out how strong they are. We know it's there, but it's not enough."

Harry nodded slowly before thinking. "So what about Venom? How do you know he isn't dangerous if you can't... feel it?"

"I never said he wasn't a threat. You see, Venom's a type of demon that requires a catalyst, he's a Symbiote. A parasitic demon, he needs a host to do anything. And sure, parasitic demons can take over their host, but I'm too strong for him to." 

Harry made a noise. "Alright, okay that makes sense. But back to point, why don't the other spirits like demons?" 

"Well, there aren't very many safe places anymore, this forest here is the only place we can hide for miles around. Sure, we might be able to find a place that's suitable for one or two, but not enough for all of us. If we lose this place, we lose everything. Very few of us will be able to relocate to another safe haven, the risk is just too high."

Harry nodded understandingly. "But if the threat is so high, then why accept them?"

"Because if we don't then we're stranding potentially innocent spirits. Sure, there's a risk, but put yourself in their shoes."

Harry nodded again. "Yeah, being in that position would suck."

Peter nodded in agreement before looking down and picking at his shirt. Harry could feel the tension in the air as he swallowed. "Well, I'm glad you all are kind enough to share the forest, even if it is dangerous."

Peter glanced up and smiled. "Yeah... thanks, I guess."

Harry hummed for a moment before speaking again. "Out of curiosity, why don't the other spirits like you?" He asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," He quickly followed up.

Peter laughed wetly. "That's complicated."

Harry hummed softly. "I'm willing to listen."

Peter stared at him for a long time before nodding. "Okay, well... here we go. You see, it's going back to the whole demon thing, how the spirits in this forest don't exactly like them. The four guardians, Me, Miles, Gwen, and Anya, we met up after a demon came to us, begging for help and a place to stay. We couldn't just leave her- she was terrified!

"So we met up to discuss what to do and Miles brought up the idea of letting demons in. We were all a bit hesitant, sure, but Miles was persistent. He really wanted the demons to be happy too, despite their reputation. We eventually agreed that we should let them in."

"But why do the spirits hate you?" Harry pressed.

"The decision was... complicated. See, Miles is sort of a fan favorite around here, a lot of spirits like him. He's kind of... sensitive? He gets his feelings hurt easily." He sighed. "The thing is, if we told everyone he was the one to advocate for the idea, their opinions would change, they'd get angry about it. Miles doesn't deserve that, so I took credit for the idea and I'm dealing with the fallout."

Harry watched him for a long moment. "You don't deserve that either,"

Peter shrugged. "I can take it, Miles can't. I'm fine with dealing with the fallout, I agreed to it. And either way, there's nothing we can do now."

Harry watched him for a long time before scooting closer. "Well, now you've got me, I'm your friend." He hummed, a smile crossing his face.

Peter stared at him before smiling. "Thanks, Harry."

He looked back down as Venom came from his shoulder. "Me too," It spoke, headbutting him lightly.

Peter chuckled. "Yep, you're my friend too."

Harry smiled at the two and dug into his bag. "Last chocolate bar, want it?"

Peter nodded eagerly. "Yes please,"

Harry handed it over and smiled as Peter happily unwrapped it, taking a cheerful bite. Harry smiled softly as Peter took a bite. 

The two sat there for a lot longer than Harry had realized and it was getting dark by the time the two realized the time. Harry cursed softly. "I should probably get to heading home." 

"Do you want me to walk with you?"

Harry looked up. "Do you want to?"

Peter smiled and stood up, offering his hand. "Yeah, let's go."

Harry smiled and took it. The two were up quickly and made their way back, still talking. The two didn't stop when they got back, Harry was putting the plastic wrap in the recycling bin before grinning. "Do you wanna make s'mores? I got stuff for them earlier,"

Peter straightened curiously. "S'mores?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "Graham crackers, sandwiching a roasted marshmallow and some chocolate?"

Peter gave him a confused look. "Oh my god, you need to stay for s'mores."

Peter snorted softly. "Alright then, let's see."

Harry grabbed the things and the bug repellant candle. "Come on, there's a fire pit out back."

Peter nodded as Harry grabbed a match and some firestarters. He followed Harry out and watched him pile a few logs of firewood into the pit, before lighting a match, lighting the firestarter, and tucking it under a few logs. After a moment, it caught aflame and Harry gave it a few moments to kindle. After that, Harry pulled out a few sticks and stuck marshmallows on them, handing Peter one. The brunet took it curiously as Harry put his between his legs for a moment to get out some graham crackers and some chocolate. Peter stared at the stick, unsure what to do, as Harry lit the bug repellant candle and readied himself, setting the marshmallow over the flame.

Peter stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Roasting marshmallows, come on," He moved the stick representatively. "You put it over the fire or in the fire depending on how roasted you like it."

As he continued explaining, his stick descended further and further into the flame. Peter coughed. "Uh- Harry,"

Harry hummed. "Yes?"

"Your- your stick,"

Harry glanced over and immediately panicked, pulling the stick out and blowing out the flaming marshmallow. He sighed and grabbed a graham cracker, splitting it in half with chocolate. He used the graham cracker to scrape off the marshmallow before sandwiching the chocolate in there. He gave it a moment to cool down before taking a bite and making a pleasured noise at the taste. "In the city, we can't just light a fire to make these so I just have to make them in the oven, or if I'm lazy, in the microwave. They never compare to over-the-fire s'mores."

Peter started at him before turning before following his example. After it was golden brown, he got the graham crackers and the chocolate and sandwiched it. He stared at it for a long moment, looking back to Harry one final time for confirmation, when Harry smiled at him and took another bite, Peter swallowed and took a small bite.

He chewed for a while when the flavor set in and he immediately took another bite. Harry grinned when he saw the happy look cross Peter's face. "This is really good!" He yelped, finishing it and reaching for another marshmallow. He hesitated halfway there, looking to Harry for confirmation.

"You can get another," Harry chuckled. "You can get however many you want."

Peter grinned madly before getting another. "I'm gonna clear out your entire stock."

Harry laughed gleefully. "Go right ahead."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

After that day, Harry went to the store again and bought several things for s'mores. Each day he'd go find Peter, and they'd talk, they'd laugh, and at the end of the day, they'd make s'mores. It went like that for a little more than a week. Harry almost forgot to visit May, he'd gotten so caught up.

One day, Peter came over as usual. He was cheerful, it almost seemed like nothing was wrong. Almost. There was something off. His first clue was when Peter first arrived.

The door opened while he was making eggs. Harry glanced up and smiled as Peter walked in. "Hey, Peter!"

Peter smiled. "Hey, Har. what'cha making?"

"Omelette, you want one?"

Peter shook his head. "Nah, I'm not hungry."

Harry tilted his head and laughed playfully. "Really? You're always hungry, are you sure?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Thank you though."

Harry's laughter died out as he stared at him. "Are you okay?"

Peter hummed and looked up. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Harry flipped the omelette. "I don't know, it just feels like something's off. Are you sure you're okay?"

Peter chuckled and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, Harry."

Harry stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Alright, if you're sure."

The second thing to tip Harry off was when they were out swimming in the lake. Peter was sitting ashore talking to Venom as Harry stood in the knee-deep water trying, and failing, to catch a fish with his hands. When he had done this before, Peter always laughed at him, especially the one time he had actually managed to catch a fish and he started screaming because he didn't know what to do with it. Peter had teased the hell out of him, but he seemed cheerful.

Now, he was struggling to catch fish, and Peter barely even seemed to notice. He didn't know why it upset him so much, but it did. In an attempt to cheer Peter up, he dove for one just out of reach, causing him to slip. He let out a startled cry as he sat up and shook the water out of his hair. "Fuck that's cold!"

Trembling, he stumbled out of the water and reached for his towel. He cast a glance over to Peter and saw he hadn't even looked up. He pouted slightly and dried off before walking over to Peter and sitting down. "What's wrong?"

Peter looked up and Venom disappeared between his skin. "Wha?"

"Something's wrong, Peter. I can tell."

"Nothing's wrong-"

"You're an awful liar."

Peter sighed and looked down. "I just... didn't get enough sleep."

"You told me you don't need sleep."

He was quiet for a long moment before curling up into himself. "I... I'm just a little bit frustrated I guess..."

Harry tilted his head. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked gently.

Peter made a small noise before looking down, a scowl crossing his face. "The spirits in the forest just... they hate me."

Harry instinctively went to argue before remembering the conversation they had the week before. He hesitated for a moment before resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "They'll come around,"

Peter shook his hand off and stood up in frustration. "It's been years and they haven't come around! I'm tired of waiting- I just don't wanna be ridiculed for a decision I- I want people to see me for- for _me_ and I just.." Peter paced back and forth, his voice breaking. "I hate this!"

Harry stood up. "I know, I know you do. They'll come around, they will."

Peter whipped around and faced him. "Harry, it's been 4 years since we made the decision, and they still hate me! Do you honestly think they'll change?"

"Yes, I do."

"When?"

"I don't know,"

Peter turned around again. "I can't wait until then, this sucks, Harry. I hate this, I hate this so much." His voice broke again.

Harry stood up and turned Peter to face him. "I know, but it'll get better." He promised, pulling him into a hug.

Peter stiffened up and Harry felt his stomach turn. _Crap I should NOT have done that without asking-_ Before he could pull away, Peter slowly wrapped his arms around him, hiccuping softly before bursting into tears. Harry rubbed his back as he cried.

After a few minutes, Peter pulled away, wiping his face quickly. "Shoot- I'm sorry, I'm sorry for crying on you like that,"

"It's okay, you were upset. Do you feel better now?"

Peter smiled weakly. "Yeah, a little bit,"

Harry smiled. "That's good, wanna go get some snacks and help May with her garden?"

"Yes please,"

Harry smiled and stood up. "Come on, I think I have some granola bars with chocolate chunks at the cabin,"

Peter's eyes lit up at the mention of chocolate and he nodded, following Harry along.

The two walked up the path, the previous stress beginning to melt away. They got to his porch and Harry held the door for him. Peter thanked him quietly and walked in, Harry close behind. He stepped into the kitchen and opened the cupboards and pulled out two granola bars for Peter. "Do you want anything to drink?" He offered.

Peter hummed. "Water please,"

Harry nodded and handed Peter the snacks before going to the fridge and pulling out the water pitcher, pouring himself and Peter a glass. Peter thanked him through a mouthful of the granola bar as he set his drink down. "You're welcome." Harry hummed back, taking a quick drink.

Peter smiled as he finished the first granola bar and quickly moved on to the second. Harry finished his water, feeling extra thirsty. "You wanna head up to May's after this and finish the walkway?"

Peter chewed and nodded. "Sure,"

Harry stood up and stretched before pouring himself another glass and chugging it down and setting the empty glass in the sink. "Well, I'm ready when you are."

Peter picked up the second granola bar and unwrapped it, putting the wrappers in the trash, and drank his water. "Let's go then, I'll eat this on the way." He yawned.

Harry nodded and pushed the door open for Peter once again, letting him out first. Peter thanked him quietly and the two were off on their way to May's house.

The walk was quiet and calm, the two just enjoying each other's presence. The peace was however interrupted when a foul smell hit Harry's nose and he cringed slightly. He tried to ignore it as they walked, but the smell became worse and worse as they moved along.

Finally, the two came across the source of the smell. A deer carcass lay on the ground near the path. Harry recoiled slightly at the sight. "Oh,"

Peter's gaze softened at the sight and he moved Harry to step around the deer. "Leave it be, the animals in the forest will clear it later."

Harry plugged his nose. "God- that stinks."

"It's rotting, it's probably been here for a few days."

Harry gagged lightly as the two speed-walked past. As they walked, Peter looked over his shoulder towards the fallen deer and smiled softly. "Harry, look."

Harry looked up, still covering his nose, and turned around. Above the deer carcass stood a white translucent deer, trotting slowly and carefully around the body.

"Anything that dies in this forest can live on as a spirit." Peter murmured as the deer nosed its former body, its muzzle passing through it. The deer seemed undisturbed by this, however, before it straightened up again and began back into the forest.

Harry watched it go and smiled softly. "That's... nice,"

Peter nodded quietly. "This place is sacred, that's why we have to protect it."

Harry nodded slowly. "I'll do whatever I can to help,"

Peter smiled up softly. "Thank you,"

"It's no problem,"

The two walked the rest of the way back in an even more comfortable silence.

They finally arrived at May's house after a while and were quick to greet her. May seemed pleased that they were getting along, even more so that they were willing to work together to finish the walkway.

It was a relatively simple build, lay the long planks parallel to one another, fill the space between them with gravel, and lay the shorter planks on top of the long planks, and nail them down. It was tedious and the bags of gravel were heavy, but Peter didn't seem to have an issue with it.

As Harry hammered a nail into one of the shorter planks, Peter stood up. "Boletus? What's up?"

Harry sat up to see a tan-skinned man approach. "Hey, Peter. I've got the daily report,"

Peter straightened curiously. "Doesn't Nuntius usually give the reports? Where is he?"

"I offered to do them today because I also wanted to ask you something."

Boletus cast a glance at Harry and back to Peter. Peter noticed this and hummed. "Boletus, this is Harry, you can trust him. Harry, this is Boletus, he's our local fun guy,"

Boletus snickered as Harry tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"I'm a fungus spirit," Boletus clarified as Peter snickered, "it's nice to meet you."

Harry snorted as he got the joke. "It's nice to meet you too,"

Boletus returned his gaze to Peter. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question after the report."

Peter nodded and smiled. "Go on then,"

Boletus cleared his throat before speaking. "So in our section of the forest, things seem clear. The rains last week caused a bit of root rot towards the edges near the lake, but one of the naiads and I were able to prevent it. Other than that, things seem peaceful."

Peter nodded with a smile. "That's good, so what did you want to ask me?"

"Near the southeast section of the forest by the astilbes, a lot of weeds are starting to overcrowd the area. I wanted permission to use the fungi to clear them?"

Peter smiled brightly. "Go ahead,"

Boletus grinned excitedly and straightened. "Thank you!"

Before Peter could even say goodbye, he was off. Harry chuckled. "Well, he sure is excited,"

"He's the only fungi spirit in the forest so he has a lot of responsibility. Fungi play a huge part in a forest's ecosystem and we rely on him to keep our forest healthy. Without him, the forest would be vulnerable to diseases, I'm not even sure we'd survive."

Harry nodded. "Interesting,"

Peter cast him an amused glance. "Let's get back to working," He hummed.

Harry returned his gaze to Peter and smiled. "Alright."

That night, the two finished the walkway.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry shifted. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Don't worry, they'll love you," Peter promised, leading him down a trail.

Harry glanced over his shoulder, feeling uneasy. "Peter, you're literally taking me to meet the other gods of this forest."

Peter giggled. "If they're gods then I am too,"

"Yes! You are! You're a god of this forest! And you're taking me to meet three other gods!"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh hush. You're giving me too much credit."

"Peter, you are literally one of four spirits who protect this forest with their lives. You're a god."

Peter shoved him playfully. "Shut,"

Harry snickered softly and continued to walk beside him. After a long while, they arrived at a large clearing. In the center was a massive tree that looked akin to a sequoia tree. Harry gaped at it for a long moment when Peter stepped forward. "Come on,"

Harry looked between Peter and the tree before following. "O-okay,"

Peter climbed onto the roots and sat. "Come on,"

Harry hesitated before nodding and climbing up. "Jesus, how tall is this thing?"

"150 feet at the top. It's about 400 years old, but it can live to be up to 2,000."

Harry stared at him wide-eyed. "You're kidding! 2,000 years old?!"

Peter grinned and nodded. "I know, cool, right?"

"That's insane!"

"For the past 400 years, me, Anya, Gwen, and Miles have been meeting here and watching it grow. We've taken pretty good care of it if I do say so myself."

Harry nodded. "I've heard sequoias are hard to grow."

Peter nodded. "Really hard. But we grew it, and it's going strong!"

Harry grinned and settled into the roots. They were strangely comfortable for a tree. "So how long are we gonna wait for them?"

"They shouldn't take too long," Peter hummed. "Give them a few minutes."

As if on cue, a familiar face strolled in. Harry perked up slightly as Gwen approached. "Hello there," She greeted.

Peter smiled. "Hey, Gwen."

Gwen sat on a nearby root that was slightly lower than the others. "How have you been?"

"I've been good," Peter turned to Harry expectantly.

"I-I've been alright?"

Gwen chuckled. "That's good."

"How about you?" Peter hummed.

Gwen smiled cheerfully. "I've been alright, thank you for asking."

"Anything new going on in your part of the forest?"

"We've had a few lilies blooming around the edges. I don't know who or what spread the seeds, but they're beautiful. Orange and white,"

Peter smiled. "That's good, lilies aren't really growing in my area."

"Yeah well, you have all the roses."

Peter giggled. "You know you can come by and take them if you ever want to. The nymphs don't mind, they love sharing the flowers as long as you don't take too many."

Gwen smiled. "I might just take you up on that."

Harry glanced up to more footsteps. Another girl was walking in, she wore a dark red dress that was a stark contrast to the greenery. She had long white lace sleeves going down her arms that doubled as finger loop gloves. He straightened slightly as Peter smiled. "Hey, Anya!" He waved cheerfully.

Anya looked up and rolled her eyes playfully, walking over. "Hey, Peter. Hi, Gwen,"

The girls smiled at each other as Anya walked over, hopping on the root beside Gwen. Peter grinned at them as Harry tilted his head. Peter saw his confused look and elbowed him playfully. "They're lesbians, Harold."

Harry choked for a moment. "You know what a lesbian is?"

"Of course, we're not stupid. We never really had a word for it before since, well, if you love someone you love them. No point in labeling it here. May explained to us how you all label everything, dumb in my opinion"

Harry smiled softly. "That's cool,"

Peter nodded with a smile before turning to the girls who were holding hands and giggling softly. Harry felt his smile grow as he turned to Anya. "I haven't met you yet, I'm Harry," He managed to say without stuttering.

A grin crossed her face. "I'm Anya, nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry smiled cheerfully back when bushes rustled once more. A familiar face came out, making his mind stutter for a moment. "You're that one kid!"

Peter glanced up. "Hm?"

"That kid! The one who knocked me off a cliff!"

Anya barked out a laugh. "Miles!"

"I'm sorry!"

Harry felt a rush of irritation as Miles looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry,"

He let out a heavy sigh. "It's okay I guess, no permanent damage done..."

Peter patted his shoulder. "Miles didn't mean to, he came to me crying his eyes out after the fact."

Harry's lips quirked up in a smile. "Then I guess I've gotta forgive you then."

Miles glanced up with an embarrassed smile on his face. He had a black and red robin hood-esque outfit, minus the hat. He looked sheepish but cheerful. After a moment of embarrassed shifting, Miles moved to join them. He sat on a tall root that had him towering over the others. He curled up into himself and waved at Harry. "I- uh, I'm Miles."

Harry forced a small chuckle. "I'm Harry, nice to meet you?"

"Nice to meet you too,"

Peter smiled between the two. "I just wanted to make sure you all got to meet Harry, we've kinda been sticking around each other."

Gwen chuckled. "That's fine, how long will you be staying, Harry?"

"Until the end of the summer. Hopefully, I can come back up next summer."

Peter perked up. "You should come up during winter! Most of the flowers aren't blooming, but it's beautiful!"

Harry grinned. "I'll see what I can do, I have school so I'm pretty busy during the winters."

"Well, we'll be happy to see you if you do come." Gwen chuckled

Peter nodded eagerly in agreement. "You should,"

Harry nodded back. "I'll see what I can do,"

Peter grinned and pushed him playfully. "Well, see what you can do faster."

Harry opened his mouth to spit out a playful retort, when a young boy ran in, looking breathless. Peter sat up. "Ameinias? What's going on?"

The boy panted before sitting up. "Theo and Roz are fighting over the lilacs, again."

Peter sighed. "Really? Again?"

"Yeah,"

Peter stood up and jumped off the root. "I'll be back, those two just can't learn to share." He sighed to himself.

Harry chuckled awkwardly as Peter slid out of the clearing with Ameinias. Miles smiled sheepishly over to Harry before fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Uh, hi."

Harry smiled back. "Hi,"

They all sat in awkward silence for a moment before Gwen cleared her throat. "So you're staying here in the forest? I'm amazed you managed to win Peter over, he's pretty stickler when it comes to who's allowed here and who isn't."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I bribed him over to my side."

"Chocolate?" Anya deadpanned.

"Chocolate," Harry confirmed.

Miles barked out a laugh as Gwen shook her head in amusement. "Oh by the gods, Peter's gonna get us killed one day."

Harry laughed and put his hands up. "I swear, I don't have any evil plans or anything. This place is nice,"

Anya grinned. "You better not have any evil plans, we'll fight to keep this forest going."

"Well, I'm willing to help however I can."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. We've protected this forest for 700 years, we'll be okay."

"700 years?! God- that's forever!"

"Yeah, it's a long time. Not as long as you'd think though,"

"How old are you?"

"You aren't getting the info out of us." Gwen deadpanned.

Harry pouted and smiled slightly. "I tried."

"If that's your definition of trying, you aren't gonna get very far in life."

"I said I tried, not that I put 100% effort in."

The Guardians shared a laugh as Harry grinned. "You guys are cool,"

"Thank you, I've spent years perfecting it!" Miles chirped.

Harry smiled happily at them. "Well, you've done a good job." 

"YAY!" Miles shouted, earning a laugh from the others.

Harry felt at ease as the conversations continued. The other guardians were pleasant and Harry almost felt like he fit in with them, despite only having known them for half an hour.

"You know, Peter's seemed a bit calmer since you came around," Miles pointed out.

Harry straightened slightly, his face flushing. "O-oh?"

"Yeah! For the past couple years he's been a bit snippy, I can't say I blame him though. If I was in the same position, I would be too."

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's told me about it." 

Miles was a bit quiet, looking guilty and Harry quickly caught himself. "You know he isn't mad- right?"

"I know it's just... I still feel bad. Yeah, most of the spirits in his section of the forest trust him, but not all of them. Especially after he took in Venom,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he was the scapegoat for why Demons were in the forest in the first place, and then immediately after he bonded with a Demon. To a lot of spirits here, that seems a bit like foul play. A lot of people don't trust parasitic demons, and for good reason too."

Harry nodded slowly. "Well, Venom hasn't given you any reason not to trust him, right?"

"Well no, other than just being a bit intimidating, he's done nothing wrong. I don't entirely trust him, but he hasn't given us a reason not to trust him," Anya spoke up.

Harry nodded and hummed. "Well, I'm glad things seem to be going relatively well at least."

"Things are pretty great if I'm being honest." Gwen chuckled.

Harry smiled. "That's good. You guys make sure to keep this forest as safe as possible, I'll do what I can to help too."

Gwen smiled. "Well, we're happy to take your help."

Harry looked up at the sky. "Well, it's getting pretty late. I should probably head home now." He sighed when he saw it was darkening.

Miles nodded. "We'll let Peter know you had to leave, it was nice to meet you!"

"It was nice to meet you all too!"

"We'll be seeing you, Harry!"

"Right back at you!"

And with that, Harry left.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"What's taking Peter so long? He should've been here by now." Miles groaned, laying upside down from the roots of the sequoia tree.

Anya flicked a pebble at him. "Be patient, he might've gotten held up solving an argument or something."

Miles pouted. "I just wanna get this meeting over with, these are lame and take forever. I like taking care of my flowers."

Gwen snorted. "We all like taking care of our flowers, Miles. We just gotta make sure there aren't any big conflicts going on, this only happens once a fortnight, it's okay."

Miles groaned. "We can just call a meeting if something bad happens,"

"Sometimes we don't realize something bad is happening until we talk about it with someone else."

Miles sat up to continue arguing when footsteps filled the clearing. They all looked up, expecting to see Peter when an unfamiliar face entered the clearing. "That's one of Peter's nymphs," Anya said, sitting up quickly.

The girl approached, her breath short. "Peter- Venom- he- I-"

Anya jumped down. "Hey, take a breath, what happened?"

"That- that demon- Venom- he- he-"

Miles felt his stomach sink as he jumped off his root. "What happened?" He pressed fearfully.

"Peter- he- he got taken over!"

Gwen froze up. "What?"

"The demon, Venom, he took over Peter! I-I saw it happen- I swear- I- I think he saw me- I-"

Anya squeezed her shoulders. "Take a deep breath, what's your name?"

She swallowed. "A-Astelle,"

"Take a deep breath, Astelle. It'll be okay, we'll investigate. Where did you see him?"

"T-towards the creek, on the edge of Miles' territory."

Gwen nodded. "We'll go look at it, you can stay in Anya's territory until the situation is cleared up if you'd like."

Anya snorted playfully. "Way to offer my place up."

Gwen gave her a playful glare and the two giggled before turning back to Astelle, who smiled weakly. "T-thank you for the offer, c-could I?"

"Of course. I'll take you there now, Gwen, Miles, you two chat. I'll be back in a minute."

As Anya disappeared behind the tree with Astelle in tow, Gwen turned to Miles, who turned anxiously back to Gwen. "You... you don't think she's telling the truth, do you?" Miles choked.

Gwen made a small noise. "I don't think she's lying, but I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Peter's too strong to just lose control of Venom like that, even if Venom is a powerful demon. Peter isn't dumb, he'll be able to keep Venom in line."

Miles shook his head. "I don't know, Gwen. He's been in a bad place recently, you know he has. It's... this is different. He's vulnerable, if Venom really _is_ evil, he could be exploiting that."

Gwen gave him a look. "Miles, Peter's probably the strongest out of all of us. He would be the worst target for Venom to go for."

"Gwen-" There was a fiery look in Miles' eyes that was interrupted by Anya returning. "Quiet you two, let's go talk to Peter." She said curtly.

The two exchanged looks before nodding and following Anya through the foliage.

The walk was a short one, but it felt so much longer than it should've. The entire time, Miles couldn't shake the growing pit in his stomach. What if they got there and it was too late?

They entered the clearing Peter usually stayed. They got to the shaped oak and Anya kicked at the root. "Peter!" She shouted, sounding angry. "Out, now!"

There was a startled noise from under the tree and Peter poked his head out, looking surprised. "What's up?"

He saw all of them looking a mix of concerned and angry and shrunk slightly. "There was a meeting today, wasn't there..."

"Get out, we need to talk." Anya hissed.

Peter obeyed and Miles looked him up and down anxiously. He didn't look any different, nothing seemed wrong. "We've got questions and you better answer." Anya spat, grabbing his arm and tugging him out the rest of the way.

Peter made a startled noise and nearly fell but didn't argue. "Okay- okay okay! What's wrong? You're never this mad when I forget meetings."

"One of your Nymphs just came to the clearing sobbing that you got taken over by that demon, Venom."

A confused look crossed Peter's face. "What? No, I've been here organizing the herbs for Ygeía for the past few hours."

Anya looked over him. "I want to talk to Venom,"

Peter nodded wordlessly and shook his shoulder as Venom came out of his shoulder. Anya scowled at the sight of him. "I want a charm on him,"

Peter startled. "Anya!"

"It's a valid concern!"

"Anya, Venom's never done anything to hurt us! You know putting a charm on him will hurt him!"

"So? He's a threat!"

Peter bristled angrily. "That's not fair to him, it'll hurt him! He hasn't done anything! At all!"

"Peter, it's just a precaution! One that we frankly should've taken the moment he arrived here." Anya hissed.

Peter narrowed his eyes and straightened, setting a protective hand on the side of Venom's head. "I'm not putting a charm on him, end of story."

Miles swallowed. "Peter, I'm not saying we should put a charm on him, but, well, maybe you two should... I don't know, separate for a little?"

Peter turned to Miles. "Excuse me? Miles- are you kidding me?!"

"I-"

Peter looked physically hurt as Miles struggled to backtrack. "Miles, you were the one who wanted demons like him to be able to live in this forest in peace! Hell- I took the blame for you!" He shouted, his voice breaking.

"I-I'm not saying that- I just- I-"

"How do you know she isn't lying?" Peter demanded, returning his gaze to Anya, who still looked firm.

"Astelle wouldn't lie."

"God- do you even know her?!"

"I can't believe you're accusing one of your very own Nymphs of lying about you! Peter- it's literally a Nymph's job to serve!"

"Well in case you haven't missed, it's not like I'm much of a fan favorite around here." Peter hissed.

Gwen stepped forward. "What are you talking about?"

Peter scoffed. "Oh come on, you all aren't stupid."

They all exchanged hesitant glances before Peter shook his head and looked down, his eyes beginning to water. "Wow, such friends you all are."

"Peter-"

"Go."

"Peter- just-"

"I said _go._ " His voice broke again as he spoke and Venom turned to him, with a pained look on his face.

Gwen reached out and Anya stepped in front of her. "Leave him. I want a charm on that thing before the next meeting," She warned.

" _No._ "

Anya glanced up. "Excuse me?"

"I said no," Peter repeated, turning away from them as Venom disappeared beneath his skin.

"Peter, I want it-"

" _I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT!_ " Peter shouted, whipping around suddenly. His eyes were glowing a vibrant and dangerous green, warning them that he was becoming aggressive.

Anya straightened and took a threatening step forward. "Peter,"

"Stop."

"Peter you need to calm down."

"Stop it,"

"This isn't an argument,"

"Peter, it's just for a few days until we can figure out its intentions," Gwen spoke up.

"It's only for a little while, Pete," Miles begged.

Peter cupped his ears as they continued speaking, trying to get him to cave. Their voices filled his ears as the ringing in the back of his head became louder and louder. _Protect yourself, they're enemies, they're trying to hurt Venom, they're trying to hurt you,_

"Peter, just put a charm on him,"

_Protect Venom,_

"It'll only be for a few days,"

_Defend yourself,_

"This isn't an argument, do it."

_You have to protect yourself at all costs,_

" _Now,_ Peter."

**_Now do it._ **

"Shut _UP!_ "

Peter lashed around suddenly, as needles manifested themselves at his fingertips, launching out and hitting Gwen in the abdomen and hitting Miles in the stomach and arm.

The two let out pained cries and immediately cupped their wounds, as Peter struggled to control his breathing. His vision cleared as he looked up. He stared blankly for a moment as Anya ran to Gwen's side, immediately looking over her wound, and quickly glanced over Miles', before turning to Peter. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, PETER?!" She cried out, enraged and horrified.

Peter choked up as he realized what he had done. "I-I'm-"

"GET OUT," Anya screamed.

"Anya- please, I-"

"GO!"

Peter choked for a moment before quickly turning and fleeing into the underbrush.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry slouched, impatiently playing a game of solitaire as he waited for Peter to show up. He never was very good at the game.

He looked up excitedly as he heard the door knock and laughed to himself before standing up to go let Peter in. "Peter- you know you don't have to kno-"

He froze up as he opened the door. Miles was standing there, rubbing his arm anxiously. "Miles?" He greeted, surprised.

Miles looked up. "Uh, hey, Harry. Uhmm... can we talk?"

Harry shifted uncertainly for a moment before opening the door wider. "Uhmm... sure? Yeah, uh, just- come in."

Miles nodded thankfully as Harry closed the screen, leaving the door open behind them. "Um, do you want anything? Water? Tea? Uh, milk?"

Miles laughed softly. "No thank you, look, I don't wanna take up much of your time so I'm just gonna, you know, get straight to it I guess."

Harry nodded and unconsciously crossed his arms. "Go ahead,"

"So, we need you to talk to Peter. We as in Gwen, Anya, and I."

Harry shifted. "Is something wrong with him?"

"He's just... he's been acting weird recently. Not as in since you came here- like, the past year or two I guess."

Harry's eyes widened. "You consider two years recent?"

"When you're alive for centuries, years seem smaller and smaller, you know?"

Harry hummed uncomfortably. "Yeah, I uhh... I guess that makes sense. God- how old are you guys?"

Miles shrugged before putting his hands in front of him. "Look- that's not the point. Peter's been acting weird recently,"

"If you wanna know where he is, he hasn't been here all day." Harry cut in. "We were supposed to hang out but he never showed."

Miles' frown deepened. "Earlier today we were supposed to have a meeting, like the other week when you were there. We were supposed to meet up like usual but he was late. And you know- Peter's late to everything, he always has been, so we didn't think about it too hard, but then..."

Miles quickly recounted what had happened earlier that day as Harry listened intensely, looking more and more worried as he continued.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like him..." Harry bit his lip and looked away as he thought. "So he just attacked you guys? For no reason?"

"In his defense, we were kind of antagonizing him," Miles mumbled.

Harry continued to think. "So you want me to talk to him and..?"

"We just want him to put a charm on Venom, at least until we can figure out if he's safe enough to leave alone."

"And will the charm hurt Venom at all?"

"Not unless it's used. What it'll do is it'll latch onto him, probably stick to the back of Peter's neck when Venom isn't out, and if it's used it'll burn him. But it'll only be used if Venom does something and we need to stop him."

Harry's mind went back to the conversation he and Peter had had in the weeks prior about demons.

_"Every spirit has magic. The more magic a spirit has, the more powerful they are, and the more powerful they are, the stronger aura they have. Other spirits and some animals can sense that aura and gauge how strong a spirit is based on that, but demons can contain their aura, which means we can't figure out how strong they are."_

"If you guys had no idea how strong Venom was when he bonded to Peter, why wasn't that the first thing you did when he bonded? If it doesn't hurt him unless it's used, I don't see a point not having that extra precaution."

Miles took a few moments to answer. "That's... complicated. See- we had no reason to believe Venom was dangerous and if he wasn't bonded to someone immediately when we met him, he would've died. He's entirely reliant on someone else to keep him alive. Sure- he can survive without someone else, but not for long. A week or two max, and he was at his limit when we found him. The plan was to have him rebond with something else later, an animal or something, but he and Peter got close and Peter decided to keep him as a familiar. So he just kept him."

Harry nodded quietly. "And there was no reason to suspect he was any kind of threat so there wasn't a point. And Peter can reject him whenever he wants to?"

"Well, sort of. If Venom's strong enough, he might not be able to, and if Astelle was right that Venom was forcing control on Peter, then he definitely won't be able to. Most demons like Venom usually aren't strong enough to do things like that though, which means Venom's more powerful than we thought, which scares me."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is uh... this is kind of scary. So you want me to talk to him and try to convince him to use a charm?"

"If you could, you don't need to though. He might get mad at you."

Harry snorted. "I can live with him getting mad, I think I can get him to listen. Try coming on over in a few hours, I'll let you know how it went."

Miles nodded. "Thank you, Harry. This really means a lot."

"It's no problem, I'll go look for him. I have a few ideas about where he could be."

"Alright, if you need any help, we'll do what we can."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, but I think I've got this. I'll see you,"

"See you, be safe."

Harry promised he would as Miles left. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face before standing up. "Alright, let's go find Peter." He mumbled to himself.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry finally managed to find Peter in a clearing with a large rock overhang. He was curled up with a large spider crawling over his hand.

"Hey, Peter!" He called, skipping over and trying to keep up a cheerful facade.

Peter jumped and looked up and Harry managed to catch sight of Venom, who had been hidden by Peter's head. He restrained himself from making a face when he saw him and slid over to the brunet’s side confidently.

Peter was stiff as Harry sat down. "I was waiting for you and you never showed, so I came to come find you."

Peter looked down and quietly replied, "I'm sorry."

Harry softened his expression. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here now, wanna go help May with her garden?"

Peter glanced up hesitantly as Venom disappeared into his neck and left arm. "No, not today."

Harry frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"No-nothing's wrong."

"You're a terrible liar."

Peter laughed softly before looking down. "I just... I messed up... big time."

Harry bumped him lightly with his shoulder. "What happened?"

Peter rubbed his eyes, seeming to try and stop tears before they formed. "I just... I..."

Harry almost wanted to reassure Peter that he already knew what happened so he didn't have to talk about it, but he knew Peter had to say it himself.

"I... I hurt them.." His voice got small as he spoke, breaking slightly.

Harry felt a pang in his chest as Peter practically whimpered out the next sentence. "I attacked them and I..."

Harry gave him a gentle look, egging him on silently. Peter glanced up at him, not turning his head, before swallowing thickly. "They wanted to put a charm on Venom and I just... I got so... _angry- _I don't know why, it's a reasonable concern and I just- I-"__

__Peter covered his mouth as the spider crawled off his hands and onto the stone of the overhang. Peter let out a small, choked sob, and Harry hesitantly touched his shoulder. "Hey- hey hey, come here, come on,"_ _

__Peter immediately leaned into Harry's awkward embrace. He sat with his hands in the air, unsure what to do for a moment, before slowly wrapping them around Peter's torso as Peter clung to him and cried._ _

__The two sat there for a long time before Peter pulled away, wiping away snot and tears as he tried to regain himself. Harry gave him a gentle look as the brunet hiccuped and sniffed. After a minute, Peter seemed in control of his emotions again as he looked down. "I don't know why I got so mad at them... I didn't want to hurt them but I just..."_ _

__Harry patted his shoulder gently and stood up. "Hey, it's okay. Let's go talk to them, they're just worried about you, okay? Let's go talk to them and you can apologize, they'll forgive you."_ _

__Peter looked at him with an unsure look but followed in his movements. "But... what... what if they hate me?"_ _

__"They won't, it'll be okay. They're probably just trying to figure out what's going on. We can go talk to them and get a charm on Venom and it'll all be okay." He reassured, turning to start walking._ _

__Peter gritted his teeth for a moment and looked down, tears welling in his eyes. "I... I just... I can't- I don't- _Harry-_ "_ _

__Harry turned around, immediately feeling anxious. "Peter?"_ _

__Peter was hunched over slightly, seeming to struggle to catch his breath. "Harry, Harry- please..."_ _

__Harry took a step forward. "Peter- are you okay?"_ _

__Peter looked up. His eyes were no longer the green Harry had grown accustomed too, but instead fully black. Peter seemed to try to choke out a word, only to start coughing as he covered his mouth. Harry immediately moved to his side when a dark tendril shot out of Peter's back and slammed into him, sending him tumbling onto his back. "Peter?!" He cried out in alarm as he fell._ _

__Peter's coughing increased for a moment before ceasing. Peter went stiff as he caught his breath before standing up straighter, his movements almost seeming artificial. His movements were too perfect to be real as Peter looked up at him. His eyes were completely blackened as he stared at Harry quietly. Harry stared at him for a wide-eyed moment. "Peter?"_ _

__After a few seconds, Peter chuckled softly, his eyes half-lidded as he looked down at his hands, squeezing them experimentally, before looking back up to Harry. "Peter's gone now,"_ _

__Harry's stomach clenched as he recoiled at Peter's voice. It was too deep, it wasn't Peter talking. "Peter? Wh-"_ _

__A sudden black tendril lashed out at him, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying back. He let out a wheezing cry as the wind was knocked out of him and he cupped his bruising chest. Peter- or whatever he was at the moment- only watched him with an amused look. "Stay down, or I'll have to make him watch me kill you."_ _

__Harry coughed. "What are you?"_ _

__The whites and irises of Peter's eyes turned black as a sick smile crossed his face. "We are Venom."_ _

__In a split second, Venom lashed out again, and Harry's vision turned black._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Miles stepped through the forest slowly, looking anxious. It had been hours since Gwen, Anya, and him had sent Harry out to find Peter and they'd gotten no word back from either of them. They had begun to worry and decided to send out a search party for them._ _

__Miles was listening for any sounds of arguing or Harry's voice, silently hoping everything was alright and the two were just taking their time while they talked._ _

__However, his fears were confirmed as the scent of blood touched his nose and he immediately froze up. He looked around for a moment before turning in the direction of the smell and speed-walking over, his eyes narrowed and his form stiff. He got to a small clearing and looked around in a panic before spotting Harry collapsed against a nearby tree._ _

__He sprinted over, letting out a panicked cry as he kneeled beside his limp form. He reached out and nudged him fearfully. "H-Harry?"_ _

__Harry didn't move and Miles shook him again. Before he could fully panic, Harry began to stir with a groan. Miles let out a sigh of relief as his eyes opened slowly before closing again as he covered them against the setting sun. "Uggghhh..."_ _

__Miles moved to block the bright red sun. "Hey- are you okay? What happened? Where have you been for the last few hours?"_ _

__Harry rubbed his eyes and moved a bit, taking a deep breath through his nose. "I... I don't," he paused to lick his lips, seeming to try and gather himself, "I think... Venom is bad."_ _

__Miles straightened slightly. "What?"_ _

__Harry seemed to think for a moment before suddenly shooting up. "Shit- Venom is- AH-"_ _

__He let out a pained cry and gripped at his chest. "Fu- ouch..."_ _

__Miles looked at him worriedly. "What happened?"_ _

__Harry leaned against the tree, closing his eyes and resting his head against the trunk as he took deep, labored breaths. "I don't know, I think Venom... I think he's in control of Peter. He attacked me."_ _

__Miles' heart sunk at the news. "Oh god, oh no this is bad. This is really bad..."_ _

__Harry nodded in agreement before slowly pushing himself up with a pained groan. Miles put his hands up in a panic. "Wait- wait you're hurt, lemme get a nymph or- or a dryad or someone- you're too hurt to move."_ _

__Harry ignored him. "I'm fine- I'm fine, just sore."_ _

__Miles shook his head. "No, stay here, it'll only take a minute to find someone, the forest is pretty full. It's surprising we took so long to find you," he sighed._ _

__Harry chuckled wheezingly before nodding and leaning back down. "Alright, just don't be long."_ _

__Miles nodded. "I won't,"_ _

__Harry watched him stand up and quickly go, obviously in a panic. He was only gone for two or three painful minutes. He quickly returned with a young-looking girl. She smiled sympathetically at Harry. "Hey, just relax, I'll heal you."_ _

__Harry nodded and took a deep breath as Miles crouched beside him. "This is Roz, she's one of our best healers."_ _

__Roz nodded to Harry as her hands started to glow. "Yep, it'll only take a minute. You'll be okay." She reassured softly._ _

__Harry laid back and closed his eyes as Roz healed him. Her hands emitted a warmth that made Harry feel safe. After a minute, she pulled away. "All done,"_ _

__Harry glanced up and looked down at his body. The ache in his chest had disappeared and he felt comfortable as he sat up. "Thanks," He murmured, still in slight disbelief that such a peaceful forest was so magical._ _

__He twisted experimentally before smiling in satisfaction. Roz seemed pleased with his development before stepping back. "Is there anything else you two need?" She chirped._ _

__Miles' gaze darkened. "Yes, actually. I want you to go around and warn the other spirits to stay hidden until Me, Gwen, or Anya come tell you it's safe to come out."_ _

__Roz stiffened up. "Is something wrong?"_ _

__"No, we're just taking a precaution." Miles lied. "It shouldn't take long, I'd say less than a few hours, but like I said. Don't come out under any circumstance unless we're telling you it's safe."_ _

__Roz shifted before looking down. "What about Peter? What if he comes and tells us it's safe?"_ _

__Miles' gaze looked pained. "Then don't come out."_ _

__Roz looked at the ground and nodded, whispering, "Okay..."_ _

__"Roz,"_ _

__She looked up weakly and Miles gave her a pleading look. "Don't tell anyone what's going on, just tell them to hide."_ _

__Roz looked down again and nodded mutely. Miles watched her go, feeling guilty. "This is gonna hurt Peter a lot..." He murmured._ _

__Harry glanced up. "What do you mean?"_ _

__"We're telling everyone in the forest to hide and only come out when Me, Gwen, or Anya tell them to, but not when Peter does... They aren't stupid, they'll make the connection..."_ _

__Harry felt his stomach clench as he looked down at the thought. _Peter will be devastated...__ _

__He tried not to think about it too hard as he looked back up to Miles. "What do we do now?"_ _

__"Now we go tell Gwen and Anya."_ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Anya swung her legs over the side of the tree boredly. "Gwen, I'm bored."_ _

__"I know, I am too." The blonde replied, sighing loudly. "How long is Miles gonna take?"_ _

__"Hopefully him taking forever means he's found Harry and Peter."_ _

__As if on cue, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the clearing and Miles ran in with Harry in tow. Anya sat up. "Hey, you two, where have you been?"_ _

__"No time to talk, Astelle was right."_ _

__"What?"_ _

__"Peter got taken over by Venom."_ _

__Gwen straightened up, her eyes widening. "You're kidding,"_ _

__"I'm not, he attacked Harry and now we have to find him,"_ _

__Anya looked over to Harry for confirmation. Harry responded with an unhappy nod. Gwen looked crestfallen as she turned to Anya. "He's really gone?"_ _

__Miles shook his head. "That's not how those kinds of demons work, they take control of the host but they don't kill the host. And the demon can be separated but its a ridiculous process,"_ _

__"How ridiculous?"_ _

__"We need a charm to separate Peter and Venom and I have no idea how to get one."_ _

__"Do you know what the charm is called?"_ _

__"No, but I know what it does. After we get that charm, we need another charm to contain Venom. That or someone can try to get an Erinyes and-"_ _

__"No."_ _

__"Yeah, agreed."_ _

__"What's an Erinyes?" Harry interrupted._ _

__"A demon I'd rather not piss off," Anya replied with a sigh. "Hopefully we won't have to get them."_ _

__"So all we need is a charm to separate Peter and Venom and then a charm to contain Venom? That's easy enough."_ _

__Miles shook his head. "At first it is, but containment charms for parasitic demons like Venom are hard to come by. We probably won't be able to find one around here."_ _

__Gwen hummed thoughtfully. "I have a few charms hidden around my place, I might have one that can separate Peter and Venom, I'm not sure about containing Venom though."_ _

__Harry furrowed his brow as he thought. "Can't you just... separate them then kill Venom?"_ _

__The group exchanged looks. "Harry- it isn't that easy," Anya spoke up. "Sure, we can separate them, but we can't kill Venom unless he has a host or he's contained."_ _

__"Wasn't he dying when you guys found him? If he doesn't have a host then he'll just die on his own, right?"_ _

__"Well, yes and no. Who's to say he won't bond with us? All it takes is just a touch for him to bond."_ _

__"Seriously?"_ _

__"Yeah, just one touch then you're bonded. And if he's taking control of Peter, we probably won't be able to shake him off if he does bond to us. We have to contain him and kill him that way so he doesn't bond to us or anyone else in our forest."_ _

__Harry nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "So what do you need for a containment charm?"_ _

__"I-"_ _

__Their conversation was interrupted by another set of footsteps entering the clearing._ _

__They all glanced up and froze to see Peter at the edge of the clearing. His eyes were dark and he looked irritated. Anya stood up and growled. "Venom."_ _

__He barely spared her a glance before sighing. "You all are making my goal too complicated."_ _

__"Release Peter," Gwen demanded, preparing to fight._ _

__"You aren't in a position to be making demands,"_ _

__"I won't ask you again,"_ _

__Venom sighed, seeming annoyed, before turning around. "Out, now."_ _

__A familiar boy staggered out of the undergrowth, his eyes wide with panic. "Boletus-" Miles yelped in alarm._ _

__Anya took a threatening step forward, only for Venom to tug Boletus closer. "Take another step and he's dead."_ _

__Harry's mind flitted back to what Peter had said when he first had met the boy._ _

___"He's the only fungi spirit in the forest so he has a lot of responsibility. Fungi play a huge part in a forest's ecosystem and we rely on him to keep our forest healthy. Without him, the forest would be vulnerable to diseases, I'm not even sure we'd survive."_ _ _

__The other spirits stiffened up, their eyes wide with uncertainty. Venom grinned at their panic. "Well, I'm glad to see you'll listen to me. Now, you have two options. You can hand over your powers to me and neutralize any threat you could be, or I can kill him. It's your choice, really." Venom sneered._ _

__They all exchanged panicked looks and Venom tightened his grip on Boletus' neck. "Make your choice now, I'm not here to play."_ _

__Miles jumped and looked to the others in a panic. When they still hesitated, Venom tightened his grip ever more and Boletus gagged and choked, struggling for air. "Stop-!" Miles yelped in alarm._ _

__"I'll stop after you give me your powers." Venom snarled._ _

__"Okay- okay I will!" Miles cried out, stepping forward in a panic._ _

__"Miles-"_ _

__Venom grinned and grasped onto Miles' arm. In what felt like a fraction of a second, he tightened his grip painfully tight and a red aura surrounded Miles' body, transferring over to Venom. It was only a moment, but then Miles was on the ground gasping for air as he clutched his chest, clearly in pain. "Miles!" Gwen shouted, running over to the weakened boy._ _

__Harry watched in horror as Venom reached out to presumably steal her powers as well, only for Anya to interrupt, sprinting forward. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"_ _

__She was quick to intercept Peter's grasp, only for him to grab onto her arm, tightening his grip. Just like what had happened with Miles, a golden aura surrounded her and transferred to Venom in a fraction of a second, leaving her weakened and collapsed._ _

__Gwen caught her and held her close, snarling at Venom. He only grinned back, throwing Boletus aside, and grasping Gwen by her throat. Gwen gagged and coughed as Venom simply smiled at her. "You all are quite a powerful bunch, don't worry, I'll be using these powers well."_ _

__A light blue aura surrounded Gwen and Venom was quick to take it in, taking a deep breath and smiling at the new strength before dropping her on the ground. He turned to Harry and smiled. "Well, it's almost the end of summer, isn't it? Just pretend like this was a normal forest, won't you?"_ _

__Harry took an alarmed step back as Venom smiled. "I'm sure you will,"_ _

__With that, Venom turned and left, seeming satisfied with his conquests._ _

__Harry stared on in horror for a moment, before regaining himself and running towards the injured guardians. "Oh my god- are- are you all okay?"_ _

__Miles sat up, seeming the most recovered but also the most distraught. "He- he took our powers- he- I-"_ _

__Anya sat up as well, looking exhausted and distressed. "There's nothing we can do to protect the forest," she whimpered._ _

__Harry looked between them as the horror of what had happened set in. They were defenseless._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Harry paced back and forth as the weakened guardians tried to recover what strength they could. "So there's nothing you can do?" Harry asked for what must've been the 27th time._ _

__"For the last time, Harry. No, without our powers, we may as well be humans."_ _

__Harry looked down and rubbed his face. "Then what do we do?"_ _

__"I don't know, I don't think there's anything we CAN do."_ _

__"So we just- just sit back and let Venom take over the forest?!"_ _

__"Well without our powers we can't forge the charm to capture Venom, none of the other spirits here can either. We can try and search for one who can, but by the time we find one it'll be too late."_ _

__Harry looked down again. "Then what are we supposed to do?"_ _

__Anya looked down and shook her head. "I don't know,"_ _

__Harry swallowed and looked at the ground. "So... Do we just give up?"_ _

__"I don't know!" Anya yelled, getting frustrated._ _

__Harry recoiled. "Sorry, sorry, I just..."_ _

__Anya sighed and rubbed her face. "No, no I'm sorry. I'm just... I don't know what to do, we can't fight him anymore, there's nothing we can do to stop him. We were the strongest spirits in the forest and if even Peter can't control him, then we were doomed the second we saw that thing."_ _

__"What does it even want?"_ _

__Miles sat up to answer. "Parasitic demons drain power from others to live longer. Essentially as long as they have a food source, they're immortal. Nothing can kill them other than them running out of energy. Containing Venom was the only way we could kill it and obviously, that's not something we can do anymore."_ _

__Harry furrowed his brow. "There's got to be someone in the forest that can make the charms!"_ _

__Gwen sighed. "I mean, I have one of the charms, the one that can separate Peter and Venom. But we don't have the magic to do it. Sure, we have it, but we need magic to activate it."_ _

__"So we just need to find a spirit strong enough to use it, right?" Harry questioned. "Come on, guys. We can do this, we just need to keep our heads up, okay? Peter's strong, he can tough through this while we figure out what to do,"_ _

__Miles looked down. "I know it's just..." He took a shaky breath. "What if he can't?"_ _

__Harry looked down, not wanting to think about what that could be implying. Anya and Gwen copied his movements, seeming to agree._ _

__"Well... we'll figure something out. All we need is someone who can craft charms right? You guys get the materials, and I'll look for someone who can."_ _

__"Where will you even start?" Anya questioned._ _

__Harry shrugged. "May? She seems to know some of the spirits in this forest, she might know something."_ _

__Miles narrowed his eyes. "Harry, May's strong and all, but I doubt she knows someone who can craft charms."_ _

__"Well it can't hurt to try, can it?"_ _

__They all exchanged looks and Anya sighed. "I guess you're right, just be careful. We don't want Venom to figure out what we're doing and try to stop us."_ _

__Harry nodded back. "I'll be careful, don't worry. I'll be back by tomorrow night at the latest,"_ _

__The guardians wished him luck as he turned to go._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__The walk was quiet and unnerving as Harry quickly made his way to where May's cabin was. It took a little more than an hour of walking through the dark to get there and every noise made him jump. The forest was unusually quiet, not even the sound of the crickets he'd grown accustomed to filled the air. It was just silence._ _

__After he found the path to May's house, he felt much more at ease, now at least knowing where he was going, though he practically ran the entire way, just wanting to get out of the dark._ _

__He finally got to the top of the narrow path and nearly cried with relief when he saw the lights of May's house. He jogged over, finding comfort in the light, before slowing his pace as he got to the door._ _

__He knocked gently, silently praying May was still awake. After a few moments, he heard a reply from inside. "Who is it?"_ _

__"It's Harry," He called back._ _

__There was a moment of silence before the doors opened to an alarmed looking May. "Harry! It's so late- what are you doing out?"_ _

__Before Harry could reply, May opened the door further. "Get in here, you're getting bitten up by mosquitos."_ _

__Harry was happy to come in, letting out a relieved sigh as May sat him down on the couch. "You look exhausted, what happened?"_ _

__Harry curled up slightly at that. "Uh, a lot. Before we get into it, I gotta ask you a question,"_ _

__May straightened slightly before nodding. "Ask away,"_ _

__"Do you know anyone who knows how to make charms? Like the spiritual kind, we gotta make one to hold Venom."_ _

__May's face grew concerned. "To hold Venom?"_ _

__Harry nodded. "It's... it's a long story. Shortening it as much as I can, Venom is evil and he's controlling Peter and we need a charm to contain him."_ _

__May paused for a moment and sighed. "Oh my goodness..."_ _

__Harry nodded weakly. "Yeah, I know."_ _

__May glanced up before softening. "Well, you're in luck. I can make charms,"_ _

__Harry's head snapped up. "You can?"_ _

__"I live next to a forest full of people who are magic, of course I pick up some things." She chuckled._ _

__Harry stared for a long moment before snorting. "Well, that was easier than I thought it was."_ _

__May chuckled. "I can make it, just bring me the materials."_ _

__"Does Peter know you can make charms?"_ _

__"Well, I never bothered to keep it a secret, though he might not know. I don't make charms very often since the materials to make them are quite valuable."_ _

__Harry nodded. "Okay, I don't want Venom to try to hurt you because he thinks you could be a threat."_ _

__May laughed. "Well, I don't think that'll be an issue. What could a little old lady like me do?"_ _

__Harry couldn't help but laugh along before yawning. May smiled softly. "You look exhausted, you should sleep."_ _

__Harry rubbed his eyes. "No- no I'm okay, we need to help Peter."_ _

__"You won't be doing Peter any good if you're passing out while trying to fight." May scolded. "Sleep, we can get the materials tomorrow."_ _

__Harry watched her for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, I should head home then if I'm sleeping."_ _

__May scoffed. "We have a couch, I have spare pillows and blankets. You settle down for the night,"_ _

__"But-"_ _

__"No buts. Just sleep, alright?"_ _

__Harry paused for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, I'll sleep..."_ _

__May smiled in satisfaction. "Goodnight, Harry,"_ _

__Harry smiled back. "Night, May,"_ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Harry woke up to the smell of sausages. He yawned and stretched, finding himself too comfortable to get up. He laid there for a long few minutes before sitting up._ _

__May smiled when she saw him. "Good morning, Harry," She greeted._ _

__Harry rubbed his eyes with his palms and offered her a weak smile. "Morning, May. How'd you sleep?"_ _

__"I slept just fine, how about you?"_ _

__"I slept good,"_ _

__May smiled and motioned to the pan. "I'm making breakfast, sausage and eggs."_ _

__Harry smiled and sat up only to sit back down at the breakfast table. "It smells good,"_ _

__"Thank you,"_ _

__Harry stretched again with a long yawn. The two sat in silence as May finished cooking, setting the plate and a fork in front of Harry. He thanked her and quickly dug in, only having eaten breakfast the day before. He quickly finished and smiled. "This was really good, thank you May,"_ _

__May chuckled at the thanks. "You're definitely welcome, Harry."_ _

__Harry wet his plate in the sink and washed it quickly before setting it on the drying rack. He moved to the couch once he was finished and sighed. "So... back to the serious topic."_ _

__May set her fork on the plate as she finished. "Oh yes, the charm. You only need one to contain Venom, right?"_ _

__Harry nodded. "And someone to use them, that should be easy though. Gwen already has the charm to separate Venom from Peter,"_ _

__May looked thoughtful before smiling. "Alright, well you need someone to use the charm. I'd offer to but I don't think I'd fare well in a fight."_ _

__"Yeah, I was gonna look for a spirit who could."_ _

__May smiled at him. "How about I train you to use them?"_ _

__Harry's head snapped up in alarm. "I- me?"_ _

__May nodded. "You don't need to, but I can imagine you want to help as well. Plus you won't have to search for someone to do the charms for you, you'll be able to do it, it just saves time." She chuckled_ _

__Harry stuttered for a moment at the thought. "So you'll just- just teach me? How to use charms?"_ _

__"If you're willing to learn."_ _

__"Yes-! I- yes, please. I want to help, I want to learn,"_ _

__May smiled happily at him. "Alright then, charms are very simple to use. All you need is a correctly made charm, the right keywords, and a target."_ _

__"Okay, that's… easy."_ _

__"It is, the hardest part is pronouncing the words correctly," She chuckled. "Before I get into training you, let's make the capture charm."_ _

__Harry nodded. "The Guardians should have the things by now,"_ _

__May only hummed as she picked up her plate. "I'll clean up here, I'm ready when you are."_ _

__"I'll be back in a bit,"_ _

__"Stay safe,"_ _

__"I will,"_ _

__With that, Harry gathered himself and made his way out of the house. The sun had just risen and a light mist covered the horizon as the ravenet quickly made his way to Gwen's camp, silently hoping she would be there._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__It was a long walk and his feet were growing sore, but he got to where Gwen's camp was. He slid into the cave, maneuvering around some of the sharper rocks, before letting out a relieved sigh as it opened up to a large clearing. Miles was curled up against the wall, seeming to be asleep, but Anya and Gwen were gone._ _

__Harry quickly made his way over to the dark-skinned boy and nudged him lightly. "Miles, wake up,"_ _

__Miles jumped at the nudge and rubbed his eyes before smiling slightly at Harry. "Hey,"_ _

__"Were you sleeping?"_ _

__Miles sat up and rubbed his eyes, nodding. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've done that." He chuckled softly._ _

__A smile tugged at Harry's lips and he sat down. "Alright, where's Gwen and Anya?"_ _

__Miles stretched and sighed. "Gwen's out to get the last of the materials, Anya's napping towards the back of the cave." He yawned._ _

__Harry nodded. "So we should probably leave her alone, huh?"_ _

__"If you want to keep your head, then yes."_ _

__He grinned and leaned back slightly. "So, I found someone who can make the charms."_ _

__Miles straightened up. "Really? How- who!?"_ _

__"May,"_ _

__"WHAT?!"_ _

__Harry laughed at Miles' gobsmacked reaction. "May could make charms this whole time!?"_ _

__"Apparently so, I asked her if she knew anyone and she said she could. She's also gonna teach me how to use them so I won't just be sitting on the sidelines."_ _

__That made Miles take a pause. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Harry. If you're using the charms, Venom's gonna be gunning for you."_ _

__"I know, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. I want to help Peter too,"_ _

__Miles smiled slightly and looked down. "I'm glad he has someone like you, you're good for him."_ _

__Harry's cheeks tinted pink as he gave him a bashful smile. "You think so?"_ _

__"I do, he's been happier since you came around."_ _

__Harry couldn't stop his grin from growing and he looked down, slightly embarrassed._ _

__Miles elbowed him playfully. "He has been, really!"_ _

__"Oh shut up!"_ _

__The two shared a laugh as Miles prodded him. "Ooo? Does someone have a cruuussshhh?"_ _

__"Miles, I will punt you."_ _

__Miles laughed happily before shaking his head. "Aww, romance."_ _

__Harry only looked down, his smile fading slightly. "Well, there's not much of a chance it'll work out. You guys are all tied to the forest and pretty much immortal, I cap out in 70 years at best."_ _

__Miles gave him a gentle look, seeming to think. "You know, there could be a way you two could make it work,"_ _

__"Rea-"_ _

__"I'm back!"_ _

__Miles' gaze snapped away from Harry and the two looked up to see Gwen walking in with a small bag. "Oh, Harry, you're back already,"_ _

__Harry cast Miles a quick glance before nodding. "Uh, uh yeah. Yeah, I'm back."_ _

__"Did you find someone who can make the charm?"_ _

__"May can," Miles chimed in._ _

__Gwen looked slightly surprised. "Can she?"_ _

__"Yeah, I know, it came as a shock to me too."_ _

__"She's gonna teach me how to use them too, so I'll be able to help you guys."_ _

__Gwen thought for a moment before smiling. "Well, we're more than happy to accept your help."_ _

__Harry smiled. "Thanks,"_ _

__Gwen walked over to him. "So you're taking this to May for the charm to be crafted?"_ _

__Harry nodded and Gwen handed him the small satchel. "This has everything she'll need. Bring it to her and don't lose anything, be careful. I think Venom might know what we're doing."_ _

__Harry paused. "What makes you say that?"_ _

__"I mean... Venom isn't stupid. He's manipulative, he's not gonna give up easily. I'd honestly be surprised if he _didn't_ know what was happening."_ _

__Harry nodded slowly. "Alright, so what do I do?"_ _

__"Just... be aware. If you think you're being followed, run."_ _

__"And if he catches me?" Harry asked after a bit of hesitance._ _

__Gwen was quiet for a few moments before replying. "Yell for help, someone will hear you and they'll come help."_ _

__Harry looked down and nodded. A tense silence followed for a few seconds before Harry looked up determinedly. "I'll be back soon,"_ _

__Gwen smiled slightly. "Yeah, see you soon."_ _

__Harry took the satchel carefully and held it for a few minutes before turning around to the exit of the cave. "See you guys," He called, keeping his voice steady._ _

__They wished him well as he made his way out. He squinted against the blinding light of the sun as he exited, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand and cringing slightly. He muttered a complaint to himself as he began speed-walking to May's house, wanting to keep a swift and steady pace._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__He managed to get there after a little more than an hour of walking. He dragged himself up the slope, his legs sore and aching. He went to the door and knocked twice, shifting from side to side. After a moment, May opened the door and smiled. "There you are, Harry. Come in,"_ _

__Harry was happy to do so, slumping down on the couch. "Ugh, my legs are so sore." He groaned as he sat._ _

__He could practically feel the blood flow return to his legs and let out a long sigh of relief. Harry missed May's worried look as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes._ _

__May watched him let out a long sigh as he let his legs rest. He looked tired. "Are you okay?"_ _

__Harry glanced up and smiled. "Yeah, my legs are just sore."_ _

__May nodded. "You rest up, I'll make the charm, okay?"_ _

__Harry nodded mutely, closing his eyes again._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__It only felt like a minute before he was being nudged awake. He opened his eyes and sat up. "I uh, I'm awake, awake, yeah. Hi,"_ _

__May chuckled. "Morning, Harry."_ _

__Harry jolted lightly. "Did- did I sleep through the day and night?" He yelped._ _

__May laughed softly. "No- no, you didn't. It's only been an hour,"_ _

__Harry rubbed his eyes and stood up. "Okay," he yawned._ _

__May watched him get up and take a few experimental steps before he nodded. "Okay, what were we doing?"_ _

__"I was going to train you," May replied, a hint of a laugh in her voice._ _

__Harry perked up excitedly. "Training?"_ _

__"Yep, are you ready?"_ _

__Harry nodded. "Yeah, yeah I am."_ _

__The ravenet wavered slightly as he stood up and walked in a small circle, seeming to be getting used to being awake again. May led him out back. There was a small table with a few different charms laid out neatly. He walked over and examined them curiously. "What are these?"_ _

__"Those are all charms. They're harmless ones, speeding up the growth of grass, moving the water in the air, things like that."_ _

__Harry nodded slowly. "If you have these, why do you garden? These would help speed things up,"_ _

__"They're single-use, once the magic in the charm is used up, you need to make a new one. I don't use charms unless I need to, and typically it isn't necessary." May explained._ _

__Harry nodded slowly and looked at each of the charms as May joined his side. "Okay, let's start out with something easy." She reached for a light blue and gold charm that had a bright white crystal in the center. "I want you to use this charm to redirect the water in the air and accumulate it onto the grass,"_ _

__Harry nodded and took the charm. "How?"_ _

__"Think of what you want the water to do, then say, _Συμπύκνωση_."_ _

__"I'm sorry, you want me to say what now?"_ _

__"It's Greek for condensation." May hummed, taking a pad and pen and writing the word down._ _

__"Oh, okay um... that's hard to say." Harry mumbled, staring blankly at the word._ _

__May chuckled lightly before writing 'sympýknosi' under it. "There's the English lettering if that helps,"_ _

__Harry nodded, studying the word for a few moments. "Okay, can you repeat the word?"_ _

___"Συμπύκνωση,"_ She repeated again._ _

__Harry was quiet before trying to repeat the word back slowly. "See-pek-nos-e?"_ _

__"Close, less stress on the beginning and more on the 'pek' part."_ _

__Harry nodded before repeating it again. "Se-peak-no-se?"_ _

__May nodded. "Better, now try it with the charm."_ _

__Harry nodded and took the charm from May and sat down, concentrating on the ground in front of him. He remembered what May had said, that it was relatively simple and he shouldn't overthink it. He took a deep breath and held the charm tight before saying, _"Συμπύκνωση,"_ aloud._ _

__Harry waited for a few moments and pouted when he saw nothing had happened. May gave him a sympathetic smile. "Just take a deep breath and try again, don't forget to concentrate on what you want to happen."_ _

__Harry nodded. "Okay,"_ _

__He took a slow breath before imagining the blades of grass covered in dew, before repeating, _"Συμπύκνωση."__ _

__At first, it seemed like nothing had happened again. Before Harry could get frustrated, he could see small droplets begin to form on the blades. He grinned eagerly as May patted his shoulder lightly. "Good job!" She praised._ _

__Harry looked up at her, his eyes shining, before returning his gaze to the blades, which were now drooping as the droplets of water grew bigger. He looked down at the blue and gold charm in his hand to see that the crystal in the middle of the charm was no longer as white and pure as it was before, now clouded and dull._ _

__May smiled and walked over with another charm, having a similar crystal in the center, though it was still clear and white. "This one makes grass grow faster, it's the same sentiment as the _συμπύκνωση_ charm. Concentrate on what you want it to do, grow the grass faster, then say _λιπαίνω._ "_ _

__Harry nodded slowly. "What does that one mean?"_ _

__"Fertilize,"_ _

__Harry snickered softly before nodding. "Li-pan-o?"_ _

__"Yep, that's right,"_ _

__Harry nodded and took the charm, looking at the ground in front of him. The dirt and soil had darkened from the dew building up as he took a deep breath and said, _"Λιπαίνω."__ _

__He grinned proudly as small needles of grass began to breach the surface of the dirt as the existing grass grew darker and longer. The crystal in the charm became cloudy just as the other had. May smiled proudly and patted his shoulder. "Great job, you're a natural at this!"_ _

__Harry looked down, his face tinted pink with embarrassment at the praise. "Thank you,"_ _

__May smiled at him before standing up. "Come on, let's get you that charm."_ _

__Harry nodded and stood after her, following her inside. "Now, this charm is just as easy as those charms you just used. The keyword to separate Venom from Peter is _άδεια_ and the keyword to contain Venom is _περιέχω._ "_ _

__Harry was quiet for a moment as he made a mental note of the two words. "To separate them is a-de-ya, and to contain Venom is pe-ri-eh-ho?"_ _

__"Yes, but you say _άδεια_ faster, it's only two syllables, and you put an accent on the R for _περιέχω."__ _

__Harry nodded and repeated the words under his breath a few times. May gave him a worried look as she grabbed a larger charm and walked over to Harry. She took his hands and carefully placed the charm in his grasp. "Now you need to be very careful. Don't break the crystal, it won't work if the crystal is broken, and after Venom is contained, the crystal will be very fragile. More fragile than glass. If it breaks, Venom will be free again. Once he's captured, put the charm somewhere where it will never be touched again,"_ _

__Harry nodded and held the charm close before looking up. "Uh, anything else I should know before I go to try and save Peter?"_ _

__May gave him a gentle smile. "Stay safe, alright? You can do this,"_ _

__Harry turned his gaze to the floor and smiled slightly. "I'll do my best,"_ _

__May grabbed his shoulders lightly. "I'll see you soon, Harry."_ _

__Harry looked up once again and smiled. "I'll see you soon too, May."_ _

__Harry reluctantly pulled away, holding the charm close, before making his way down the cliff face._ _

__May watched him go without a word._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Harry was careful as he walked through the forest on high alert. He didn't want to be caught by Venom without the separation charm, but he couldn't risk the capture charm being broken as he tried to be quick but careful at the same time._ _

__He was jumpy and paranoid the entire walk, only getting any sort of relief when he approached the giant sequoia. _At least I'm in Gwen's section of the forest now._ He thought as he made his way back into the foliage._ _

__He slipped through the undergrowth and followed the natural paths that led to the mouth of Gwen's cave. He was very careful with his entry, not wanting the charm to get injured in any way, shape, or form. Finally, after a minute of maneuvering carefully, the cave opened up into the large cavern and Harry was quick to let out a breath of relief. He was safe._ _

__He was quickly approached by a hopeful looking Miles. "Did you get it?"_ _

__Harry showed him the charm. "Yeah, May taught me how to use them too so I'm ready whenever you guys are,"_ _

__Miles let out a relieved sigh. "Oh thank the gods- so you'll be separating and capturing them?"_ _

__"If everything goes okay, then yeah."_ _

__Miles smiled excitedly before looking over his shoulder. Anya was walking over, looking tired but hopeful. "So we have a chance?"_ _

__"Yep, now we just need to find them."_ _

__"There's the hard part." Gwen sighed, following Anya out. "See, even if we had our powers, Demons can mask their auras so it's hard to find them. And without our powers, we're basically screwed."_ _

__Harry sighed and looked down. "So... what you're saying is he has to come to us."_ _

__Anya narrowed her eyes. "What are you suggesting?"_ _

__A sly grin crossed Harry's face. "Well, he's not gonna come to us under any normal circumstance. We just aren't a threat to him anymore, so we gotta make ourselves a threat."_ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Anya stood in the small clearing with Gwen and Miles. They casted a glance into the undergrowth where a spirit who was new to the forest, named Technitós, laid in wait. The young illusionist was using his powers to create a large artificial aura surrounding the Guardians._ _

___"If Venom thinks you guys have your powers back, he'll get scared."_ _ _

___"He wasn't scared last time,"_ _ _

___"Well yeah, last time he had leverage, this time he has nothing."_ _ _

___The Guardians exchanged looks. "So we just need to convince him that we have our powers back?"_ _ _

___Harry nodded. "He might back off long enough for me to come in with the charm,"_ _ _

___Anya sat up. "I think I know someone who can help us,"_ _ _

___The others turned to her. "Oh?"_ _ _

___"A new spirit in my part of the forest, he's only been here a few days. I was going to introduce you guys to him but, well, things got complicated, obviously. His name is Technitós, he's an illusionist spirit. Along with just making illusions, he can also create a false aura, making him look stronger or weaker. He can probably make one around us,"_ _ _

___"Then we have everything we need, you all ready?"_ _ _

___"As we'll ever be,"_ _ _

__They all felt exhausted from being completely drained of their magic, but they kept their heads up, putting on a facade of strength._ _

__After standing for what felt like hours, they heard swift footsteps in their direction. In a moment, Peter entered the clearing, his eyes blackened out and his expression furious. "How did you get your powers back?" Venom demanded._ _

__Gwen took a threatening step forward. "You underestimate us,"_ _

__Venom snarled at her, the tips of Peter's fingertips changing into inky black claws. "You all made a mistake trying to challenge me,"_ _

__Harry slowly made his way out of the underbrush with the two charms as the Guardians stalled. He held the separation charm tight, his hands shaking, as he focused on Peter and whispered, _"ádeias,"__ _

__A few seconds passed and Harry began to panic, whispering, "ádeias," again, more urgently._ _

__When nothing happened, Harry’s blood ran cold. He had gotten the word wrong. He frantically tried to remember what the word was when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and he was thrown aside. He looked up to see Venom looking outraged at him._ _

__"You tried to trick me!" He screeched. "You'll all pay for that!"_ _

__Harry shakily looked down to see his stomach bleeding out. He wrapped his arms around the wound as the Guardians quickly began to panic. Venom turned to attack them before stuttering in his movements, making the onlookers take pause. He staggered for a moment before a low snarl erupted in his throat. "Get off of me," He whispered._ _

__Harry watched for a moment before realizing it was Peter trying to take back control. He quickly looked around the ground, trying to find where he had dropped the separation charm, his entire body shaking. He panicked when he couldn't find it before Technitós appeared in front of him, wide-eyed and shaking but also holding the charms. "H-her-ere," He stuttered out._ _

__Harry reached out for the separation charm, his arms shaking as he grabbed it and held it close. He looked over to Venom, who was snarling at him, before wheezing out, "A-"_ _

__He didn't manage to finish the word before Venom let out a furious shout and launched out a tendril, grabbing Harry by the neck and pinning him against a nearby tree. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"_ _

__Harry gagged and wheezed as he used one hand to grip the charm and the other to grab onto the tendril, trying to loosen it from his neck. Venom only tightened his grip however and snarled as Harry struggled to choke out the keyword._ _

__The tendril recoiled a few inches as Peter struggled to force control again, his entire body shaking with effort as his eyes began to return to their usual green. "Get- get off of me!"_ _

__Harry gasped for air, his stomach bleeding as he struggled to take in air and reduce his pain however he could. He coughed wetly as he gripped the charm. "A-A- _Αδεια,_ " He coughed out._ _

__Peter let out a loud shout as Venom was crudely ripped from his body and slid off of him like oil on water. Peter gasped and coughed for air, recovering from the sudden shock of being in control again._ _

__Harry let out a relieved sigh and slumped down, nearly crying with relief. He put his hands on his stomach and let out a pained whimper as he was reminded of the messy tear. He tried to ignore his agony as he reached over to get the containment charm. A soft hand touched his arm, stopping him. "Don't move, Harry, someone's coming to heal you, I've got this."_ _

__Harry looked up to see Peter giving him a gentle look. He looked scared, though he was trying to keep his composure. The ravenet grabbed his hand tightly and let out a pained noise. "Don't- don't die,"_ _

__Peter gave him a pained look. "I should be telling you that," Peter moved his hair out of his face, his sweat keeping it where it was moved. "Just stay still for a few more minutes, we've got this, okay?"_ _

__Harry swallowed thickly and nodded as Peter stood up and walked over to where the charm laid. He picked up the grey and white artifact and turned to Venom. He didn't waste any time in absorbing the power he had stolen and returning it to Gwen, Anya, and Miles, before tightening his grip on the charm. "I was willing to help you because I thought you just wanted a place to belong." He scowled, looking angry and hurt. "I let you feed off of me, literally draining the life out of me, and you still betrayed me."_ _

__Peter looked down, angry tears forming in his eyes. "And look where that got me."_ _

__The others watched him mutely as he squeezed the charm. _"Περιέχω."__ _

__Peter watched silently as the blob writhed for a few moments before dissolving into a black mist that was quickly sucked into the crystal in the middle of the charm. He looked down at the charm for a long moment before sighing. "Anyone wanna take this?" He asked, holding the charm away from him._ _

__The newly rejuvenated Gwen approached. "I can keep it safe," She murmured softly._ _

__Peter gave her a small smile before looking down and sighing. "Shit, I'm sorry I put you all through this..."_ _

__"It wasn't your fault, Peter. Demons are finicky like that, sometimes they're good, sometimes they aren't. You were just unlucky,"_ _

__Peter offered him a small smile before turning over to Harry and quickly walking over to his side. "Harry, are you still with us?"_ _

__The taller boy nodded. "Yeah, just- ow, shit, just..."_ _

__"Hurting, I know. Just relax, we'll get someone over here," Peter promised, turning his gaze to the injury._ _

__He cast a glance over his shoulder to see Miles was already off going to find someone. He turned back to Harry and smiled. "You're gonna be okay,"_ _

__Harry forced a smile before making a pained noise. Peter cringed lightly before lightly lifting up Harry's shirt to check the damages. There was a gash about 4 inches long across his stomach. Peter couldn't tell how deep it was, but it wasn't good. Harry tried to look down and Peter cupped his face, keeping his head up. "No no, just keep your eyes on me." He murmured, pushing Harry's shirt back down._ _

__Harry tilted his head back and let out a pained noise. "God damn this hurts," He choked out in a wet laugh._ _

__Peter nodded. "I know, I know, Miles is on his way with someone who can help."_ _

__Peter comforted Harry for a long few minutes before Miles arrived with Ygeía. "Well, isn't this morbidly familiar?" The Dryad murmured, quickly moving to Harry's side._ _

__Peter smiled weakly as she sat down beside him and quickly began healing his wounds. "Harry, this is Ygeía. She was the one who healed you when you first fell down the side of the cliff,"_ _

__Harry laughed softly before making a pained noise. "What a coincidence, saving me from dying again."_ _

__Peter chuckled softly. "Oh quiet, let Ygeía focus on healing you."_ _

__Harry smiled but clammed up, his eyes closing as his wounds were slowly stitched shut. The clearing fell silent except for the distant chirping of blue jays._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Harry fiddled with the hem of his suitcase as Peter stood in front of him, looking sad. "Promise you'll come up next summer?"_ _

__"I swear on it, and I'll see if I can come up in the winters too."_ _

__Peter smiled weakly. "You'd love the snow spirits, they're nice."_ _

__Harry's gaze softened as he reached out to grab Peter's hand. Peter took it and gave it a gentle squeeze. "See you in 9 months?" He murmured._ _

__Harry smiled. "See you in 9 months."_ _

__As much as Harry wanted to stay and talk for longer, he knew he couldn't miss the bus. He walked over to May's truck, getting a ride down to the bus stop, and cast Peter one final glance before waving goodbye._ _

__Only 9 more months._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__It had been years since the events in the forest that summer had taken place. Harry had kept his promise and had visited as often as possible, doing what he could to preserve the forest so Peter and the others could live on as long as possible. They always expressed their gratitude whenever he came to see them._ _

__But as time went on, Harry got older, and after a long 84 years of life, doing what he could to better the world around him, Harry knew his time was coming to an end._ _

__His entire body ached as he laid on his back in the car. He knew what was happening, the people around him knew as well. A few of his employees and caretakers were with him, watching him fearfully as they drove. It was a long and painful drive for him, but one he needed to take._ _

__They soon arrived onto the ever-so familiar gravel road. The bumps made his back ache even more as he let out small pained noises. His caretakers seemed anxious, wanting his ride to be as painless as possible. When they finally got to the forest, Harry almost wanted to cry with relief. He was almost home._ _

__They got him onto a cot and brought him to the bed at the old cabin. He had managed to keep it in relatively good shape over the years at least. He was laid down on the mattress carefully. The caretakers sat down and watched wordlessly as Harry slowly began to drift. They knew what was coming, they were all aware of what was happening. Harry was leaving._ _

__They watched quietly as the steady rising and falling of his chest slowed to a stop. After a minute or so, his heart soon followed, and they all knew he was gone._ _

__.oOo.oOo.oOo._ _

__Peter tended to May's old garden quietly. He and Harry had never stopped weeding the garden and tending to it, even after May had passed. They missed her, but it had been decades since she'd gone and both knew she was still around, though in a different way._ _

__His mind wandered to Harry. A rush of love and affection washed over him as he thought about the other. Though they did have feelings for each other, both of them were afraid to pursue them, knowing the day would come when Harry would die and Peter would be left alone. He didn't like the thought._ _

__He lifted his head as he finished yanking out the small weeds and he made a pleased noise as Astelle trotted over with a bucket. "Are those the last of the weeds?" She asked, picking some of them up and tossing them in the compost._ _

__Peter nodded. "Yep, that's it. Almost time to start planting the Marigolds, don't you think?"_ _

__Astelle nodded in agreement. "I'll ask Gwen for some seeds if you want me too,"_ _

__"If you could," Peter hummed, standing up and brushing off his pants. "By the way, have you seen Harry yet?"_ _

__"Has he not come to see you?"_ _

__"No, not yet."_ _

__"Huh, weird."_ _

__Peter only nodded and glanced up at the clear sky. He could see a distant plane flying far above. "I wonder when he'll get here."_ _


End file.
